Getting technologies adopted in the UK healthcare system can be time-consuming and complex. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Office for Market Access (NICE OMA) has developed a novel approach to enable greater and more coordinated dialogue between life sciences companies and healthcare system stakeholders on market access issues.

When establishing NICE OMA, interactions were carried out with life sciences trade associations and key healthcare system stakeholders to explore challenges in market access landscape. Feedback highlighted that dialogue with NICE and other stakeholders is often limited and occurs in high-risk situations; indicating a need for greater and more coordinated dialogue between industry and multiple healthcare system stakeholders outside of formal processes.

The approach developed is a safe harbor engagement framework which enables NICE OMA to facilitate interaction between life sciences companies and key healthcare system stakeholders; this collaborative approach promotes shared understanding of aspects that will allow innovative technologies to reach patients faster. It brings together multiple organizations in a safe environment where ideas can be exchanged between participants, allowing organizations to think beyond their own area of interest and to work collaboratively. Companies have used the engagement framework flexibly to engage at different stages along the development to adoption journey. Feedback indicates that companies have benefitted from channeling discussions through NICE to bring together key leaders from different organizations, as well as the neutral facilitation of discussions. Healthcare system partners have gained insights/knowledge that hadn't been apparent beforehand. Patient and clinical representatives have appreciated the opportunity to provide views to a broad range of stakeholders often early in the development of the technology.

The NICE OMA safe harbor engagement framework has been well-received to date. Further feedback will be sought to understand the impact in helping to optimize the market access journey.