UK

In November 2020, the Innovation and Technology Payment (ITP) program for 2020/21 was released by NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative. ITP 2020/21 builds on the Innovation and Technology Tariff (ITT) and ITP 2019/20; eight products will continue to be supported. Additionally, two digital technologies received continued support through the Evidence Generation Fund.

On November 18, 2020, the 2020/21 National Tariff Payment System was published and came into effect in England. The publication has been delayed due to the NHS response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On November 04, 2020, NHS England published an update of the Specialized Services Policy Pipeline (as of October 19, 2020). Four new Clinical Commissioning Policies were added to the work program, six new policies were published, and one policy was discontinued.

In September 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new interventional procedure guidance (for transcranial magnetic stimulation for auditory hallucinations), one new medical technologies guidance (Axonics sacral neuromodulation system for treating refractory overactive bladder), one new diagnostic guidance (Implantable cardiac monitors to detect atrial fibrillation after cryptogenic stroke) and four Medtech innovation briefings (for Novii Wireless Patch System, t:slim X2 insulin pump and others). Also, three clinical guidance documents were updated.

NHS England has opened a consultation on the proposed approach to updating the National Genomic Test Directory set out in the consultation document. The deadline for comments submission is November 17, 2020.

On October 09, 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) launched a public consultation on proposals for changing how it selects the topics for medicines, medical devices, and diagnostics guidance development. The consultation closes on November 19, 2020.

On September 24, 2020, NHS England opened a consultation on clinical commissioning policy for the use of catheter ablation for paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation. Comments can be submitted until October 24, 2020.

NHS England announced that the specialized High-Cost Tariff-Excluded Devices (HCTED) program is restarted working with NHS providers and NHS Supply Chain colleagues, throughout July and August 2020.

NHS England Clinical Reference Group Stakeholder Registration opened on April 3, 2019, and will continue till December 31, 2020.

On August 03, 2020, King’s Fund issued a report on technology and innovation for long-term health conditions. It was commissioned by Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) in England to explore four different digital innovations in health services from the UK and the Nordic countries to demonstrate transformative potential and compare and contrast themes across geographies.

On September 03, 2020, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) opened HTA researcher-led proposal submissions. The proposals can be related to any health problem and should be within the scope of the HTA Program. The closing date is January 6, 2021.

On September 03, 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued medical technologies guidance on Axonics sacral neuromodulation (SNM) system for treating refractory overactive bladder. NICE recommended Axonics SNM to be adopted in the NHS and considered as an alternative when another treatment is not effective.