Health Technology Wales (HTW) – International network for social intervention assessment

“We publish national guidance on technologies with the potential to significantly impact health and care service in Wales.”

History, structure and governance

Health Technology Wales (HTW) was established in 2017 to address recommendation 3 of the 2014 Inquiry into Access to Medical Technologies in Wales which recommended the establishment of an all-Wales medical technologies appraisal mechanism. HTW is funded by Welsh Government and hosted within NHS Wales but is independent of both.

Mission

HTW is a national body working to improve the quality of care in Wales through the appraisal of non-medicine health and care technologies. We collaborate with partners across the health, social care and technology sectors to ensure an all-Wales approach. HTW’s remit covers assessment of any care technology that isn’t a medicine such as medical devices, diagnostic tests, implants, surgical procedures, assistive technologies,
social interventions, digital innovations and changes in care pathways.

How HTW works

At Health Technology Wales they carry out health technology assessments involving the appraisal of non-medicine health and social care technologies and models of care and support.

They research and appraise the best available evidence to assess the value of technologies for Wales. Based on this evidence, they publish evidence summaries on health and social care technologies and authoritative national guidance for NHS Wales to support decisions on technology adoption. HTW support those innovations that are proven to offer value and suggest disinvestment in those that do not.

HTW:s guidance on health technologies is not mandatory, but there is an expectation from Welsh Government that our guidance is adopted. The status of HTW guidance is ‘adopt or justify’. Each local health board and other relevant bodies are expected to report on how they have considered our appraisal and guidance. If they have chosen not to adopt HTW guidance, they are asked to outline their rationale and justify their decision. HTW regularly monitor adoption of guidance on non-medicine health technologies. This includes HTW guidance and guidance from other organisations, such as NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).

Dissemination

HTW:s national guidance and news are published on the HTW-website and social media channels and disseminated to a wide network of stakeholders, including: clinicians, NHS local health boards and specialist trusts, care providers, Welsh Government, technology manufacturers and the wider public.

As well as communicating with stakeholders directly and via our communication channels HTW publish a quarterly bulletin and a newsletter and guidance alerts for subscribers.

Future Plans

In 2026 Health Technology Wales published its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan which set out its immediate and medium-term strategic goals and objectives.

Included in the plan are HTW’s top five priority objectives for the next four years:

Produce and disseminate high quality, inclusive health and social care evidence appraisal and national guidance for NHS Wales.
Ensure alignment with Ministerial, policy and health and social care system priorities.
Support time-critical health and social care policy decision making via Welsh and UK initiatives, programmes and groups.
Undertake an annual adoption audit of HTW and select NICE guidance.
Collaborate with Welsh health and social care ecosystem partners and UK health technology assessment partners (e.g. NICE, Scottish Health Technologies Group, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) to support relevant Welsh Government innovation and MedTech policy.

Agency Information

Country: Wales
Population served (mil): 3.107 mil
Description of population served (level): National
Current SIA budget (mil Euro): Our annual budget is £1.6m and we utilise these funds to assess both health and social care topics which are prioritised and adopted onto our work programme, throughout the year. As social care is a relatively new area of work for us, the proportion of our budget assigned to this activity is relatively low. We are not currently in a position to ring fence our social care appraisal budget as this work is integrated with our wider health technology assessment.
Permanent staff: 25
Ongoing SIA projects: number and/or list of topics:

Strategies for Relatives (START): https://healthtechnology.wales/reports-guidance/strategies-for-relatives-start-intervention-to-improve-the-mental-health-of-carers-of-people-with-dementia/

Intensive Family Preservation Services: https://healthtechnology.wales/reports-guidance/intensive-family-preservation-services-ifps/

Video Feedback Interventions: https://healthtechnology.wales/reports-guidance/video-feedback-interventions/

Digital platform to support older people at home: https://healthtechnology.wales/reports-guidance/digital-platform-to-support-older-people-at-home/

Passive monitoring technologies to support the independence of older adults living alone: https://healthtechnology.wales/reports-guidance/passive-monitoring-technologies-to-support-the-independence-of-older-adults-living-alone/

Bed monitoring and alarm systems in care homes: https://healthtechnology.wales/reports-guidance/bed-monitoring-and-alarm-systems-in-care-homes/