Agenda

8am to 9am

Registration and refreshments

9am to 9:15am

Welcome from the NICE chairman

Speaker:

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:

Speakers:

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:

Speakers:

  • Prof Manisha Kumar, chief medical officer, NHS Greater Manchester.
  • 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. This 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:

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:

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:

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.

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:

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?

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:

  • 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:

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:

4:50pm to 6pm

Close of conference followed by networking drinks