FOI2026/1884

This request concerns the Integrated Care Board’s own processes, as commissioner, for assessing, funding, and pricing new and innovative clinical technologies. To be precise about what I mean:

In scope: the ICB’s process for making commissioning and funding decisions on technologies that are new or innovative, including implantable devices; high-cost or specialised devices; novel diagnostics; digital health or Software as a Medical Device; and technologies that are subject to, or recommended by, NICE guidance (for example Technology Appraisals, Highly Specialised Technologies, Medical Technologies Guidance, Diagnostics Guidance, Interventional Procedures Guidance, or an Early Value Assessment). Also in scope is the ICB’s process for agreeing local prices or variations to national prices under the NHS Payment Scheme, as set out below.

Not the primary focus: routine medicines and formulary decisions taken through the Area Prescribing Committee or equivalent (please provide these only if the same route also governs the technologies described above). I am also not, in this request, asking to be redirected to provider Trusts; I am asking specifically about the decisions and processes that sit with the ICB as commissioner.

Where responsibility for the above is split across more than one committee or group (for example a priorities, prioritisation or investment committee; a clinical policy or evidence-based interventions group; an individual funding request panel; or a new technology or horizon-scanning group), please provide the information for each relevant committee and identify which one owns which category.

Request for recorded information

1. A copy of the current business case, funding request, or investment proposal template(s) used to seek ICB commissioning or funding of a new or innovative clinical technology as defined above.
2. The name of the committee(s) or group(s) responsible for assessing and deciding the funding of new and innovative technologies, and confirmation of which committee owns which category (for example new devices and diagnostics; novel procedures; digital health or Software as a Medical Device; and individual patient funding requests).
3. The ICB’s process, and any local policy, for implementing and funding NICE guidance, distinguishing between guidance that carries a statutory funding requirement (Technology Appraisals and Highly Specialised Technologies) and advisory guidance that does not (Medical Technologies Guidance, Diagnostics Guidance, Interventional Procedures Guidance, and Early Value Assessments).
4. The Terms of Reference for each relevant committee.
5. The membership of each relevant committee by role or job title, and the name or job title of the chair or responsible officer.
6. The meeting frequency of each relevant committee, the scheduled meeting dates for the current and forthcoming year, and the deadline for submission of papers ahead of each meeting. Please also confirm whether funding or investment proposals for new technologies are subject to an annual cut-off or submission window (for example one aligned to the annual operational planning or contracting round), or whether they may be submitted and considered in-year.
7. Any standard submission forms associated with the process (for example a funding request form, an individual funding request form, a business case template, or a supporting evidence template).
8. Any evaluation, scoring, or prioritisation criteria used to assess submissions, and any financial thresholds or delegated authority limits that determine escalation to executive or Board approval.
9. The policy or standard operating procedure governing the assessment and funding of new and innovative technologies.
10. The process by which the ICB agrees local prices, local variations, or local modifications under the NHS Payment Scheme (which replaced the National Tariff Payment System from 2023/24) for a new technology, device, or procedure that has no applicable national price, or where an existing national price does not reflect the cost of an innovative device. Please include: which committee or officer is responsible for such decisions; the evidence required to support a proposal; and whether proposals of this kind are subject to an annual cut-off or window (for example within the annual planning or contracting round) or may be submitted and agreed in-year.

1. Any commitment to funding a new initiative would be the subject of an appropriate business case that would need to be approved in line with NHS GM’s governance process, policies and procedures, in particular the NHS GM Financial Scheme of Delegation and Procurement Policy.
2. Please see Greater Manchester Medicines Management Group (GMMMG) website for information for new medicines: Welcome to GMMMG – GMMMG
3. All GMMMG processes can be found on the website Welcome to GMMMG – GMMMG

For commissioning and funding decisions on technologies or new devices are undertaken in discussion with providers and investment as per the National Payment Guidance.

4. Please use link provided in question 3 to access Terms of Reference.
5. Please use link provided in question 3 to access Membership.
6. Please see link to Medicines meeting dates: Welcome to GMMMG – GMMMG

Whilst the ICB endeavours to align to the annual planning round to the development of its commissioning intentions, there is no cut off for submissions and any new developments can be considered in year.

7. Please see link to the IFR documentation is on the website Greater Manchester Individual Funding Request Service | Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership
8. The ICB does not have a prioritisation process however decisions are made in accordance with the ICB governance and scheme of delegation as outlined in Q1.
9. GMMMG process documents can be found on GMMMG website Welcome to GMMMG – GMMMG
10. For items with financial implications, depending on value, these will be considered for approval as per the ICB’s financial scheme of delegation. Any local tariff or modifications proposed outside the National Payment Guidance would be incorporated as part of the business case proposal. Medicines will additionally follow due medicines governance process (i.e. via GMMMG).