Section 7 of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Constitution and Functions) and the Health and Social Care Information Centre (Functions) Regulations 2013 requires integrated care boards, NHS England and, with respect to their public health functions, local authorities to comply with the recommendation in this evaluation within 90 days of its date of publication.
The Welsh ministers have issued directions to the NHS in Wales on implementing NICE technology appraisal guidance. When a NICE technology appraisal guidance recommends the use of a drug or treatment, or other technology, the NHS in Wales must usually provide funding and resources for it within 60 days of the first publication of the final draft guidance.
When NICE recommends a treatment 'as an option', the NHS must make sure it is available within the period set out in the paragraphs above. This means that, if a patient has established cardiovascular disease (previous myocardial infarction, previous ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease [evidenced by intermittent claudication with an ankle-brachial index of less than 0.85 at rest, or a peripheral arterial revascularisation procedure, or an amputation because of atherosclerotic disease]) and a body mass index of at least 27 kg/m2 and the healthcare professional responsible for their care thinks that semaglutide is the right treatment, it should be available for use, in line with NICE's recommendation.