> Report published: Developing the HTW Audit Function to Assess the Adoption of Guidance across Wales
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28 February, 2020

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Report published: Developing the HTW Audit Function to Assess the Adoption of Guidance across Wales

Pages from a paper published by Health Technology Wales

We’ve published a report with recommendations for an audit function to assess the adoption of Health Technology Wales (HTW) and NICE Guidance on non-medicine technologies (NMTs) in Wales.

This is a critical step in the spread of technological innovations and has resulted in an agreed process to facilitate and monitor; routine consideration, uptake, (de)commissioning and implementation of evidence-based guidance in NHS Wales.

Click here to read the report and recommendations in full: Developing the Health Technology Wales (HTW) Audit Function to Assess the Adoption of HTW and NICE Guidance on Non-Medicine Technologies across Wales

In response to the Welsh Government inquiry into ‘Access to Medical Technologies in Wales’, we set-up an Adoption Audit Task and Finish Group in 2019. The outcomes came from discussions held by the Adoption Audit Task and Finish Group and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from Welsh Government and NHS Wales, including procurement, commissioning, clinical and other experts.

The Adoption Audit Task and Finish Group reviewed options and proposed a structure and related processes. This will allow for the effective auditing of the adoption and implementation of non-medicine technology guidance issued by HTW and NICE’s Medical Technologies Advisory Committee (MTAC) and Diagnostics Advisory Committee (DAC).

The importance of the report and recommendations is due to the well-known differences between the guidance processes for medicines and non-medicine technologies. Their scales also differ with approximately 60-80 new medicines on the market annually, compared to thousands of devices for a wide range of interventions.

There are nine recommendations in total, including the recommendation that the All Wales Medical Directors (AWMDs), with their national remit for clinical effectiveness, should be the national peer group that oversees the HTW audit function. The report also recommends that Local Health Boards and NHS Trusts in Wales should extend the remit of their relevant local committee to take on additional responsibilities to facilitate annual audit if the adoption and uptake of key HTW and NICE non-medicine technologies guidance.

The report outlines the key features of the HTW audit function, including it’s; objectives, scope, scale, format, frequency and audience. It also identifies the additional resources required at local and national levels to pilot, evaluate and implement the HTW audit function.

Click here to read the report and recommendations in full: Developing the Health Technology Wales (HTW) Audit Function to Assess the Adoption of HTW and NICE Guidance on Non-Medicine Technologies across Wales