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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |