SHCA submits response to the NICE methods review

The SHCA submitted a response in December to NICE’s high-level consultation on its proposed ‘case for change’ for changes to its methods.

The SHCA welcomes NICE’s recognition of the need to enable greater flexibility in the assessment of treatments for rare and complex conditions. However, there is a need for much more substantive detail in many areas and for NICE to go further in updating its approach in others, to provide assurances that the changes will deliver improvements for patients in practice.

In particular, the SHCA is calling for NICE to revise its proposals to include:

• Greater clarity on how the proposed changes would support more flexible assessment for treatments for rare and complex conditions
• The introduction of a specific assessment pathway for rare disease treatments, supported by conditional access arrangements, including clarifying how the proposals align to the creation of the Innovative Medicines Fund
• Mechanisms to strengthen the patient voice in decision making
• Assurances that it will provide enhanced support to patient organisations to understand the implications of any changes that are introduced and enable them to participate fully in technology appraisals

The SHCA will be engaging with the remaining stages of the NICE review as it progresses in 2021 and will be working with our members to ensure that the voices of patients with rare and complex conditions are heard.