Agenda
8am to 9am
Registration and refreshments
9am to 9:15am
Welcome from the NICE chairman
Speaker:
- Sharmila Nebhrajani OBE, chairman, NICE.
9:15am to 10am
NICE’s first 25 years – what we achieved, what we learned, where we’re heading
Since its foundation 25 years ago, NICE’s principles of independence, transparency and rigour have earned it a globally respected reputation. However, health and care has changed rapidly since NICE’s inception. So, how is NICE evolving to keep pace with this change? How will it maintain its independence, transparency and rigour while also focusing on the relevance, timeliness, usability and impact of its products? What does the NICE of the next 25 years look like as it continues to help deliver the most effective and affordable care?
Chair:
- Sharmila Nebhrajani OBE, chairman, NICE.
Speakers:
- Dr Sam Roberts, chief executive, NICE.
10am to 10:45am
Integrated care for better outcomes
With services facing unprecedented demand, as well as significant workforce pressures, integration is key to improving health and care outcomes. Explore how this is happening in practice. What are the challenges, risks and opportunities? How is NICE adapting its approach to produce integrated guidance that helps practitioners and commissioners deliver the best care to people and communities.
Chair:
- Prof Jonathan Benger CBE, chief medical officer, deputy chief executive, NICE.
Speakers:
- Prof Manisha Kumar, chief medical officer, NHS Greater Manchester.
- Dr Andy Knox, general practitioner (GP) partner, Ash Trees Surgery and associate medical director, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB).
10:45am to 11:15am
Refreshments and networking
11:15am to 12:15pm
Driving creative solutions in health technology assessment (HTA)
The number, range and complexity of medicines and health technologies has never been greater. The unprecedented innovation offers major benefits to patients and can also be disruptive to established practices and methods for HTA. Hear how the Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory (HTA Lab) enables NICE to develop creative solutions to complex problems in HTA and how it offers a ‘safe space’ for creating solutions in collaboration with system partners and stakeholders.
Speakers:
- Paul Catchpole, director of value and access policy, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
- Dr Andrew Champion, programme director, All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC).
- Prof Dalia Dawoud, associate director (research), science, policy and research programme, NICE.
The role of population health in tackling inequality
We know that health inequalities arise because of the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work and age. Does population health management have the answers to addressing people’s evolving health and care needs? What needs to change to shift the focus of the NHS from reactive care to proactive and preventative care?
Chair:
- Dr Clare Morgan, director of impact and partnerships, NICE.
Speakers:
- Prof Matthew Ashton, director of public health, Liverpool City Council, honorary professor, Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool.
- Prof Kevin Fenton, CBE PhD PrFPH FRCP FFSRH (Hon), president of the Faculty of Public Health.
People power: how to listen, learn and engage those with lived experience
How do we effectively engage those most impacted by our decisions? How can we give a voice to the people we need to hear? How do we break down the barriers to public involvement?
Chair:
- Mark Rasburn, senior public involvement adviser, NICE.
12:15pm to 1:20pm
Lunch and networking
1:20pm to 2:20pm
In conversation with...
This session will be a one on one, in conversation with the conference chair.
Chair:
- Richard Vize, journalist and public policy analyst and NICE Conference 2025 chair.
Methods and processes that keep pace with change
How is NICE ensuring its methods and processes are transparent, reflect societal preferences and accommodate innovation? How is NICE adapting to the introduction of schemes such as the international recognition procedure?
Chair:
- Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation, NICE.
Speakers:
- Victoria Jordan, head of health technology assessment (HTA) and market access policy, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
- Chris Sampson, senior principal economist, Office of Health Economics.
- Dr Koonal Shah, associate director – science policy and research, NICE
Prioritising guidance topics that matter most
What topics are NICE focussing on over the next year and why? How is it ensuring what it delivers is timely, useful, relevant and impactful? A deep dive into how effectively NICE prioritises guidance topics to meet the greatest needs of the health and care system.
Speakers:
- Prof Jonathan Benger CBE, chief medical officer, deputy chief executive, NICE.
- Mark Cubbon, chief executive, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
2:30pm to 3:30pm
Smoothing the pathway to adoption
How does NICE work with partners to balance speedy access to innovation, while also considering significant pressures across the health and care system and the need to reduce health inequalities? How do we smooth the pathway to bring new technologies and solutions to the NHS that meet unmet clinical needs?
Chair:
- Mark Chapman, director of HealthTech, NICE.
Speakers:
- Steve Bates OBE, chief executive officer, BioIndustry Association.
- Louise Knowles, deputy director, innovation accelerator and regulatory science, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
- Gila Sacks, director of medicines, Department for Health and Social Care.
- Luella Trickett, executive director, medical devices, value and access, Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI).
Closing the loop: NICE's role in building a learning healthcare system
Most people agree the concept of a continually learning healthcare system is desirable, but the concept hasn’t really taken off yet. What is NICE’s role in bringing about this step change? How can it lead the way in learning from data and implementation?
Chair:
- Dr Pall Jonsson, programme director, data and real-world evidence, NICE.
An implementation showcase
An interactive session exploring how NICE guidance can be successfully implemented – and the impact it can have. Hear directly from system users about innovative approaches to support NICE guidance. Discover how people have overcome challenges and the resources available to support you.
Chair:
- Dr Clare Morgan, director of impact and partnerships, NICE.
3:30pm to 3:50pm
Afternoon break, refreshments and networking
3:50pm to 4:40pm
Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics: the future of healthcare?
The technological advance continues. As we discover more about AI and robotics – do we see them as friend or foe? Do the potential benefits outweigh the risks? We explore their use in clinical settings and in the generation of real-world data. Do they help or hinder our efforts to reduce heath inequalities? What are the challenges and opportunities of an AI-reliant service delivery?
Chair:
- Richard Vize, journalist and public policy analyst and NICE Conference 2025 chair.
Speaker:
- Mark Chapman, director of HealthTech, NICE.
- Dr Xiaoxuan Liu, associate professor in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health, University of Birmingham.
4:40pm to 4:50pm
Final closing remarks and reflections on the day
Speaker:
- Dr Sam Roberts, chief executive, NICE.