Med Tech-related health technology assessments in Wales in February 2026

Health Technology Wales (HTW) is a national body working to improve the quality of care in Wales. It is funded by the Welsh Government and hosted within NHS Wales, but is independent of both. HTW covers medical devices, diagnostics, procedures, psychological therapies, models of care, and social care support, excluding pharmaceuticals.

HTW uses a staged process of assessment by developing three types of documents. The topic exploration report (TER) aimed to assess whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a full appraisal and whether the topic meets the appraisal selection criteria. Based on the TER conclusions, HTW's Assessment Group decides whether to progress this topic further. If yes, the following two documents can be developed: Evidence Appraisal Report (EAR) and Guidance (GUI). Recommendations are not mandatory; the status of HTW guidance is "adopt or justify," meaning that the local health board and other relevant bodies are expected to report on how they have considered the appraisal and guidance. If they have chosen not to adopt HTW guidance, they are asked to outline their rationale and justify their decision.

In February 2026, HTW has standardized the recommendations to make HTW guidance clearer and more consistent, and will include the following:

• Should routinely be adopted;
• Should not routinely be adopted;
• More evidence is needed.

In February 2026, HTW accomplished one full appraisal on capsule sponge devices to detect Barrett’s esophagus and early-stage esophageal cancer. Cytosponge (by Medtronic) and EndoSign (by Cyted Health) were identified as specific examples of such technology. 

• HTW concluded that there is sufficient evidence to support the routine adoption of capsule sponge devices with biomarker testing (TFF3, p53, and cellular atypia) for diagnosing Barrett’s esophagus in people with chronic gastro-esophageal reflux disease, as the test demonstrates good diagnostic accuracy and is estimated to be cost-effective despite a small reduction in patient benefits. However, the evidence is insufficient to support routine use in Barrett’s esophagus surveillance, and further research is recommended to assess impacts on time to diagnosis and treatment, long-term clinical outcomes, and diagnostic accuracy over time.

In addition, two TERs were published in the urology and gynecology fields, for which HTW's Assessment Group decided not to proceed with the full appraisal. 

See the full details here.

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