Prioritisation board decisions 2026
We've developed a centralised approach to prioritising our guidance topics.
This ensures that we produce guidance that's relevant, timely, accessible, and has demonstrable impact.
Decisions will only be reviewed where there are factual errors or when significant new evidence comes to light following publication.
Stakeholders can seek clarification within 20 working days following the publication of the prioritisation board's decisions.
| Prioritisation board meeting date | Topic title | Decision | Routing decision | Rationale | Decision publication date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 April 2026 | Penicillin allergy delabelling | Not prioritised | N/A | The Prioritisation Board noted that the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BASCI) has developed guidance on this topic and that further European guidance is being developed. They also acknowledged that there is a relevant ongoing trial which is due to complete at the end of 2026. Given these points, the Prioritisation Board agreed that the topic should not be prioritised at this time, but that it may be appropriate to reconsider it in due course when further evidence is available. | 14 April 2026 |
| 01 April 2026 | Barrett’s oesophagus (NG231) | Prioritised | Guidelines | The Prioritisation Board recognised that recently published evidence indicates that the current recommendations regrading endoscopic surveillance are likely to need updating, with the potential for less use of an invasive procedure and associated cost-savings. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should be prioritised. | 14 April 2026 |
| 19 March 2026 | Pathological demand avoidance | Not prioritised | N/A | The Prioritisation Board noted that as pathological demand avoidance is not currently recognised as a diagnostic entity, it would not be possible to develop useful and useable recommendations on this topic. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should not be prioritised. | 14 April 2026 |
| 19 March 2026 | Glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency | Not prioritised | N/A | The Prioritisation Board noted that the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) has produced guidance on this topic. They also noted that the BNF includes information about drugs which are either contraindicated or should be used with caution in people with this condition. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should not be prioritised. | 14 April 2026 |
| 19 March 2026 | Percutaneous transluminal renal sympathetic denervation for resistant hypertension | Prioritised | HealthTech | The Prioritisation Board agreed that the technology looks to have the potential to offer clinical benefits and noted that there appears to be some relevant published evidence available. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should be prioritised. | 14 April 2026 |
| 19 March 2026 | Point of care lipid tests for CVD prevention in primary and community care | Prioritised | HealthTech | The Prioritisation Board recognised that this is an area where guidance on the topic would be valuable in assessing the effectiveness of the technology. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should be prioritised. | 14 April 2026 |
| 19 March 2026 | Peripheral arterial disease (CG147) | Prioritised | Guidelines | The Prioritisation Board recognised that newly published evidence indicates that the existing recommendations in the guideline regarding the management of critical limb ischaemia may now be out of date. They noted that newer treatment options appear to have the potential to be more clinically and cost-effective and so agreed that it would be valuable to address the topic. | 14 April 2026 |
| 4 February 2026 | AI-guided ultrasound to support diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis | Not prioritised | The Prioritisation Board noted that the evidence base for the technology in its current form indicated that its accuracy was not sufficient and that there was no evidence to evaluate the technology for the most appropriate use case. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should not be prioritised. | 6 March 2026 | |
| 4 February 2026 | AI technologies to aid the scoring and interpretation of diagnostic sleep studies | Prioritised | Routed to HealthTech | The Prioritisation Board agreed that the technology has the potential to improve the efficiency of sleep services and that there would be value in assessing the effectiveness of the technology. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should be prioritised. | 6 March 2026 |
| 4 February 2026 | Urinary biomarkers to detect bladder cancer | Prioritised | Routed to HealthTech | The Prioritisation Board agreed that the technology appears to have the potential to create system efficiencies by replacing the need for cystoscopies in certain instances. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should be prioritised. | 6 March 2026 |
| 22 January 2026 | Scrambler therapy for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) | Not prioritised | The Prioritisation Board noted that scrambler therapy technology does not currently look to be regulated for use in the UK. They further noted that the evidence base for the technology is very limited. Consequently, they agreed that the topic should not be prioritised at this time. They acknowledged that if the technology becomes regulated and further evidence is available, the topic could be reconsidered in the future. | 6 March 2026 | |
| 22 January 2026 | Female genital mutilation | Not prioritised | The Prioritisation Board recognised that female genital mutilation (FGM) spans health services, social care and safeguarding responsibilities. Existing guidance on this topic has been produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, alongside commissioning and safeguarding guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care. The Board agreed that the most pertinent issues relate to training, safeguarding practice and service delivery across the system, and concluded that NICE guidance would not be the most appropriate mechanism at this time. | 6 March 2026 | |
| 22 January 2026 | Diagnostic technologies for surveillance of people at risk of hepatocellular carcinoma | Prioritised | Routed to HealthTech | The Prioritisation Board agreed that the technologies in this area have the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of testing compared with current options and that there would be value in assessing them. | 6 March 2026 |
| 22 January 2026 | Technologies for cancer case finding using primary care records | Prioritised | Routed to HealthTech | The Prioritisation Board agreed that there is a potential value in the technology as a decision support tool for identifying suspected cancer and consequently prioritised the topic. | 6 March 2026 |
| 22 January 2026 | Drainable night bags | Not prioritised | The Prioritisation Board agreed not to prioritise the topic as an existing use assessment they did not believe there was significant variation in practice and the potential for both clinical benefits and cost-reduction through addressing this topic is low. |