National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published updated versions of its health technology evaluation manuals, PMG36 and PMG48, marking a further step in how non-pharmaceutical innovation is assessed and adopted within the NHS.
The revised PMG36 manual is intended to strengthen the way HealthTech products are appraised across medical devices, diagnostics and digital technologies. Its focus is on supporting more consistent, transparent and timely evaluations, while recognising that evidence generation for HealthTech often looks very different to that of medicines. The update reflects the increasingly central role of digital and device-led innovation in care delivery, and aligns with the ambitions set out in the NHS 10-Year Plan to embed technology as a core driver of productivity, access and outcomes.
Under the updated approach, NICE’s methods and processes are designed to better accommodate diverse data sources, evolving evidence bases and real-world use, while maintaining the rigour required to support national commissioning and adoption decisions. Stakeholder engagement remains a key feature, with the revised manual emphasising structured contribution from industry, clinicians, patients and system partners throughout the appraisal process.
Alongside PMG36, NICE has confirmed a set of minor but deliberate updates to its HealthTech programme manual, PMG48. These changes were consulted on earlier this year and are primarily aimed at ensuring consistency across NICE’s guidance suite, as well as reflecting the updated methodological approach introduced in PMG36. While limited in scope, the revisions reinforce a single, coherent framework for HealthTech evaluation across NICE programmes.
Taken together, the updates signal a broader intent to keep NICE’s evaluation frameworks aligned with a rapidly evolving HealthTech landscape. As digital tools, diagnostics and devices play a growing role in prevention, diagnosis and long-term condition management, the ability to assess value in a way that is both rigorous and proportionate is becoming increasingly critical.
NICE has also published a detailed summary of consultation responses, setting out where proposed changes were accepted or rejected and why. This material is available via the ‘History’ tab alongside the updated manuals, offering additional transparency on how stakeholder feedback has shaped the final guidance.
