For medical technologies, value to the National Health Service is assessed through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) independent, evidence-based evaluation processes. NICE assesses whether a technology offers benefits and value for money compared with current practice, considering clinical effectiveness, safety, cost effectiveness, resource use, patient and system outcomes, uncertainty in the evidence, and wider issues such as health inequalities. NHS England and the Department then use NICE guidance, alongside evidence of system need and alignment with national priorities, to support commissioning, procurement, and adoption decisions. The appropriate assessment or adoption route may vary depending on the strength and maturity of the evidence base.

To support the assessment of value, the Department is publishing Value Based Procurement Standard Guidance. The guidance will provide NHS contracting authorities with a standard methodology for assessing value. Non financial value is grouped under the following domains: social value; efficiency; patient and staff; supply chain; and purpose. When using the methodology, contracting authorities will choose relevant domains based on the medical technology product they are procuring. The non-financial value should be weighted at a minimum of 60%, including the mandated 10% on social value.

The Department has also updated the assessment process for assessing medical devices available for prescribing in the community. This updated assessment rewards evidence of product effectiveness, supporting self-care, supporting system savings, and reducing inequalities. However, prescribers and local decision‑makers consider value at a local level, with varying criteria. For example, they may take into account individual patient needs, clinical judgement, and real-world experience of the technology.

No specific assessment has been made. National Health Service providers, working with integrated care boards, are responsible for delivering NHS healthcare services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes the medical equipment needed to deliver those services.

The Government has announced the introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) self-testing in the National Health Service cervical screening programme for the under-screened population in England. The NHS has begun planning an in-service evaluation (ISE) of HPV self-testing in the wider population.

The purpose of the ISE is to ensure that the self-test is acceptable, accurate, and feasible compared with a clinician collected specimen, and to evaluate its impact on cervical screening uptake and ensure that the programme continues to prevent the same number of cancers. The findings of the ISE will inform any future UK National Screening Committee recommendation to ministers to offer self-testing across the whole population, alongside clinician-led screening.

As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.

Spirometry with bronchodilator response is a minimum test requirement of all standard and large CDCs. It is therefore expected that all fully operational standard and large CDCs offer this service.

CDC programme funded diagnostic test activity is reported from management information collected monthly. Spirometry test activity is included as part of the ‘other respiratory’ category. 307,866 ‘other respiratory’ tests have been delivered between January 2025 and the end of October 2025, the latest published data. Spirometry is not recorded separately and so individual testing volumes are not held in the format requested. CDC management information, including a list of tests categorised under the ‘other respiratory’ grouping, can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/cdc-management-information/

As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.

Spirometry with bronchodilator response is a minimum test requirement of all standard and large CDCs. It is therefore expected that all fully operational standard and large CDCs offer this service.

CDC programme funded diagnostic test activity is reported from management information collected monthly. Spirometry test activity is included as part of the ‘other respiratory’ category. 307,866 ‘other respiratory’ tests have been delivered between January 2025 and the end of October 2025, the latest published data. Spirometry is not recorded separately and so individual testing volumes are not held in the format requested. CDC management information, including a list of tests categorised under the ‘other respiratory’ grouping, can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/cdc-management-information/

The Department looks at opportunities to utilise technology to improve diagnostic performance and bring down cancer waiting times. We are committed to backing an innovative clinical research ecosystem in the United Kingdom so that patients can be among the first to benefit as we make the National Health Service fit for the future.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not currently made a specific assessment of the potential merits of using nanoneedles to detect cancers.

To support the implementation of the updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence asthma guidelines, NHS England has been engaging with health system partners to coordinate resources and implementation efforts to make sure that patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen, and are using their inhaler at the right time, with the right technique. Updates to patient facing information on asthma management and treatments in line with the updated guidelines are ongoing. For example, the recently published Quality and Outcomes Framework and guidance has been updated to reflect the updated asthma guidelines.

The over-prescribing of reliever inhalers amongst people with asthma has seen a steady fall over the past few years. The percentage of patients on the Quality and Outcomes Framework asthma register who received six or more Short Acting Beta-2 Agonist reliever inhaler prescriptions over the previous 12 months fell from 19.8% in April 2022 to 15.9% in February 2025, a percentage change of 19.8%. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-network-contract-des

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of diabetes care. If an individual patient is eligible or deemed suitable for flash, specifically Freestyle Libre, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) or hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems, then a decision is required by the patient’s routine care provider in consultation with their patient.

NHS England can confirm over 200,000 eligible people living with diabetes benefit from real-time CGM. However, they are currently unable to differentiate real-time CGM uptake by type 1 and type 2 diabetes populations.

Following National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations on access to HCL technology last year, the NICE and NHS England agreed on a phased implementation period for HCL over five-years for people with type 1 diabetes. Therefore, people with type 1 diabetes will be transitioning from CGM to HCL during this five year period.

We are developing new reporting systems which are designed to support ICBs to monitor delivery. CGM data for diabetics is now collected as part of the National Diabetes Audit, which suggests that the number of people with type 2 diabetes using CGM is increasing. Metrics that are useful for health systems to monitor access to glucose monitoring will be published later this year.

The Department is working with NHS England and the NHS Supply Chain to develop and promote a standardised methodology for National Health Service trusts and integrated care systems (ICS) to assess value when procuring medical technologies, including devices and consumables. As part of this, the Department is engaging medical technology suppliers, patient forums, as well as broader networks of financial teams, clinicians, and NHS procurement professionals.

The methodology will provide a consistent and transparent approach to assessing value, for use at both the national and local levels. This aims to shift the majority of the weighting in procurement decisions towards value over upfront cost. The guidance will include a bank of questions, model answers, and scoring criteria showing how to assess defined values consistently, such as patient experience and outcomes, and whole system costs.

The Department will be testing this guidance with the NHS at the ICS and NHS trust level over the coming months, with the ambition to refine and publish the guidance in Autumn 2025.

The Department began an assessment process on patient support for at home medical equipment energy costs in August 2024 with a review of existing policy provision. This work includes consideration of the impact of the cost of running electrical medical equipment at home on vulnerable groups.

At Ministerial direction, the Department is working with the National Health Service, gathering technical data from within the health sector on use, cost and power demand of at home medical devices, to support development of costed policy options.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom.

Most of the MHRA’s income comes from charging fees for its services. Its fees are set to recover the full cost of delivering the respective services. This is in compliance with the HM Treasury guidance, Managing Public Money.

The MHRA aims to update its fees every two years, so that it can continue to recover its costs. This ensures the agency’s continued financial sustainability, and the ongoing delivery of its services.

The MHRA has recently consulted on its current fee uplift. The consultation has now closed, and they are analysing the responses. The Government response to the consultation should be published in the new year.

By ensuring that the MHRA is fully recovering costs, it is in a better position to deliver the level of service that industry, patients, and the public want and expect. The fees uplift is not expected to adversely impact the UK favourability in the short- or the long-term. Regular fee increases are standard practice across all regulators.

In February 2023, the Department published its first ever strategy for MedTech, as well as a one year on update in April 2024, outlining our priorities for improving the adoption and spread of safe, effective, and innovative medical technologies across the National Health Service.

NHS England holds data on innovation adoption and scale for specific NHS England programmes and policies, such as the MedTech Funding Mandate programme. Providing data on individual programmes in response to this question does not provide a complete picture of activity.

For example, the Health Tech Adoption and Acceleration Fund will have funded a mixture of pilots and scaling of existing programmes, however this was largely managed at local level, and NHS England do not centrally hold data on what is a pilot and what is a scaled programme.

Pilot and evaluation data is held at provider level, which includes acute, primary, community, and secondary care providers. These organisations are not required to report pilot outcomes to NHS England. They work autonomously but in partnership with technology evaluators, academics, researchers, or other expert partners such as the Health Innovation Networks. NHS England produces an annual Health Innovation Network report, which is due to come out this Autumn. The 2022/23 is available at the following link:

https://thehealthinnovationnetwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AHSN-Network-Workforce-Impact-Report-2023.pdf

The data is aggregated, so it is not possible to extrapolate from the report how many of the projects are technology pilots.

We understand that energy bills are a concern for many people. We believe the only way to protect bill payers permanently, including disabled people, is to accelerate the green transition towards homegrown, clean energy.

This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and working with them so that their views and voices are at the heart of everything we do.

We know disabled people face extra costs every day and this has been exacerbated by the increased cost of living. Ministers and officials have met with disabled stakeholders to discuss the impact of high energy costs for disabled people, including those who use electronic aids and adaptations in the home.

We also expect energy suppliers to do everything they can to support customers who are struggling with their bills, especially vulnerable households such as those with individuals who are disabled. We encourage any vulnerable consumer who needs extra support to sign up to the Priority Services Register.

NHS England owns the Specialised Services Devices Programme (SSDP), a national purchase and supply system for specific categories of devices. The NHS Supply Chain provides procurement and legal compliance support for trusts with value for money tendering in the open market, in line with Public Procurement Regulations, and for putting in place fit for purpose local contracts. The published information on the roles and responsibilities of the SSDP, including evaluation and procurement, is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/key-docs/medical-devices/

The Department is undertaking several initiatives to address unwarranted price variation in medical device spend, including specialised services, such as: development of a national product information management system; reform of the listing process for community prescribed medical technology; commissioning the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to undertake assessments of existing product categories; and the development of a methodology for value-based procurement. The Department will work with the SSDP to review any areas of unwarranted price variation for medical devices managed through the SSDP.

In 2021, NHS England published the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, which sets out a series of milestones to support National Health Service suppliers in aligning with NHS Net Zero ambitions. The 2027 requirement for suppliers to publicly report targets and emissions, and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) for global emissions aligned with the NHS Net Zero targets, will build on milestones implemented in 2023 and 2024. Further information on the roadmap is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/get-involved/suppliers/

The 1 April 2023 milestone required that suppliers bidding for any new contracts above £5 million per annum publish a CRP for their United Kingdom scope one and two emissions, and a subset of scope three emissions, as a minimum. This requirement was proportionately extended to all new procurements from April 2024, with a full CRP required for new procurements above £5 million per annum, and new frameworks operated by in-scope organisations. A Net Zero Commitment is required for procurements of lower value, as set out in the guidance, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/carbon-reduction-plan-requirements-for-the-procurement-of-nhs-goods-services-and-works/

NHS England has proactively engaged with suppliers prior to and since the launch of the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, and continues to engage with regulators, suppliers, and industry bodies ahead of implementing future roadmap milestones, including the April 2027 milestone. NHS England’s engagement approach has included regular supplier forums with trade bodies and external webinars, as well as horizon scanning of the global and UK regulatory and reporting landscapes.

A key enabler of decarbonising the NHS supply chain is to ensure our suppliers begin to understand and communicate the potential impacts of the products they supply. In doing so, we will always seek that product data asks be clear, and will not place a disproportionate burden or cost on the supply chain, whilst delivering on the purpose of the policy.  

The NHS has committed to working with suppliers and regulators to determine the scope and methodology of new requirements that enable information sharing regarding the carbon impact of products supplied to the NHS. These requirements are due to be introduced from April 2028, with NHS England currently undertaking engagement in the policy development phase, including aligning with the Government’s medical technology strategy. Details around policy requirements are still being scoped, and as part of this process, we will seek to incorporate the feedback of the supply chain, and will take into account any concerns raised regarding the potential impact on the availability of devices. the Government’s Medical technology strategy is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/medical-technology-strategy

NHS trusts are required to provide an annual summary of progress on delivery of their Green Plan, however there is no requirement for trusts to carry out carbon footprinting, as NHS England provides annual estimates of the total NHS carbon footprint in the NHS England Annual Report and Accounts.

Individual National Health Service organisations are responsible for maintaining and replacing their existing assets. One source of funding for aging equipment is operational capital, which is issued to integrated care boards to prioritise the capital needs of the NHS, including renewal and replacement of plant, IT, and equipment. In order to facilitate the ongoing requirement for equipment, the Department has provided £4.2 billion in operational capital in 2023/24, amounting to over £12 billion over the spending review period of 2022/23 to 2024/25.

In addition to operational capital is the £2.3 billion which has been provided over the spending review period to transform diagnostic services, including replacing old equipment, and deliver 160 community diagnostic centres. One aim of this funding is to clear the current backlog of equipment over 10 years old by the end of the spending review period.

Energy policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The UK Government is providing a package of support that will total over £104 billion, or £3,700 per household on average, over 2022-2025, to assist households and individuals with rising costs of living. As part of this package, millions of vulnerable households will receive up to £900 in further Cost of Living Payments. These payments apply to Northern Ireland.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final draft guidance on the use of the hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes to the National Health Service in England. The draft guidance is out for comment until 28 November 2023. If there are no appeals, then the final guidance will be published in December 2023.

NICE has accepted a funding variation request from NHS England which will see the technology rolled out across England over a five-year period.

The introduction of the HCL systems represents a step-change in care for people living with Type 1 diabetes and NHS England is ensuring that the NHS has the staff, training and patient support in place to safely rollout the technology across the country.

NHS England is engaging with integrated care boards and other stakeholders as part of the development of the HCL implementation strategy. The strategy will provide advice and guidance to integrated care boards and NHS providers on the phased approach to implementation.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final draft guidance on the use of the hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes to the National Health Service in England. The draft guidance is out for comment until 28 November 2023. If there are no appeals, then the final guidance will be published in December 2023.

NICE has accepted a funding variation request from NHS England which will see the technology rolled out across England over a five-year period.

The introduction of the HCL systems represents a step-change in care for people living with Type 1 diabetes and NHS England is ensuring that the NHS has the staff, training and patient support in place to safely rollout the technology across the country.

NHS England is engaging with integrated care boards and other stakeholders as part of the development of the HCL implementation strategy. The strategy will provide advice and guidance to integrated care boards and NHS providers on the phased approach to implementation.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final draft guidance on the use of the hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes to the National Health Service in England. The draft guidance is out for comment until 28 November 2023. If there are no appeals, then the final guidance will be published in December 2023.

NICE has accepted a funding variation request from NHS England which will see the technology rolled out across England over a five-year period.

The introduction of the HCL systems represents a step-change in care for people living with Type 1 diabetes and NHS England is ensuring that the NHS has the staff, training and patient support in place to safely rollout the technology across the country.

NHS England is engaging with integrated care boards and other stakeholders as part of the development of the HCL implementation strategy. The strategy will provide advice and guidance to integrated care boards and NHS providers on the phased approach to implementation.