The Health Technology Assessment team at the Freeman Hospital has been involved in the national programme of medical device assessment for over 40 years. Our current role as an External Assessment Group (EAG) for NICE complements other activities in Medical Physics, including developing innovative medical devices and bioinformatics.
The Newcastle EAG is led by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, bringing in additional literature searching, systematic review, meta-analysis, health economics and horizon scanning skills from Newcastle University and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Teesside University. The EAG is commissioned by NICE to provide independent assessment of the clinical evidence for innovative medical technologies and associated analysis of the economic impact of technology adoption in the NHS to support national guidance development.
Newcastle EAG team members
Team members from Newcastle hospitals:
- Andrew Sims, centre director
- Kim Keltie, centre manager
- Luke Vale, professor of health economics
- Michael Drinnan, professor of digital healthcare interventions
- James Blake, head of service, clinical measurement
- Emma Belilios, project co-ordinator
- Humayra Dervin (née Abdul-Razakq), clinical scientist
- Rachel O’Leary, clinical scientist
- Rosalyn Parker, evaluation healthcare scientist
- Paula Leslie, clinical scientist
- David Muir, clinical scientist
- Elliot Blacklock, administrator
- Sarah Gascoigne (Healthcare Scientist)
- Edward O’Toole, clinical scientist
- Alison Bray, lead healthcare scientist
From Evidence Synthesis Group, Newcastle University
- Dawn Craig, ESG lead and director of NIHR Innovation Observatory
- Katie Hay (Stakeholder Relationship Manager)
- Fiona Beyer, principal research associate
- Sheila Wallace, research fellow and information specialist
- Hannah O’Keefe, research associate / information specialist
- Sonia Garcia Gonzalez Moral, research associate / information specialist
- Oleta Williams, research assistant / information specialist
- Claire Eastaugh, research assistant / information specialist
- Louise Tanner, research associate
- Ryan Kenny, research associate
- Katie Thomson, senior research associate
- Kate Lanyi (Research Associate)
- Julia Whitehall (Research Associate)
- Nicole O’Connor (Research Assistant)
- Sylvia Zhang (Research Assistant)
From Health Economics Group, Newcastle University
- Gurdeep Sagoo, health economics group co- lead, senior lecturer, health economics
- Stephen Rice, senior lecturer, health economics
- Ashleigh Kernohan, senior research associate, health economist
- Matthew Breckons, senior research associate
- Giovany Orozco-Leal, research associate, health economist
- Lakshmi Jayachandran, research associate, health economist
Our work
Early Value Assessments (EVAs): EVAs are a new approach to the assessment of digital products, devices and diagnostics. They offer a rapid assessment based on clinical effectiveness and value for money, allowing patients and services to benefit sooner from promising technologies where the evidence base is still developing.
| Title | Authors | Publication date |
| GID-MT590 ProKnow Cloud-based system for radiotherapy data archiving, communications and management | Rosalyn Parker, Kim Keltie, Rachel O’Leary, Emma Belilios, Sonia Garcia Gonzalez Moral, Fiona Beyer, Sedighe Hosseinijebeli, Gurdeep Sagoo, Luke Vale, Andrew Sims | March 2023 |
| GID-HTE10007 Digital products for diet and activity support alongside prescription of weight loss medication | Kim Keltie, Humayra Dervin, Paula Leslie, David Muir, Rosalyn Parker, Emma Belilios, Susan Reece, Alex Inskip, Sheila Wallace, Cristina Fernandez-Garcia, Tomos Robinson, Gurdeep Sagoo, Luke Vale, Andrew Sims | October 2023 |
| GID-HTE10043 Robot-assisted surgery for orthopaedic procedures | Kim Keltie, Rachel O’Leary, Hannah O’Keefe, Alex Inskip, Elliot Blacklock, Emma Belilios, Luke Vale, Andrew Sims | April 2025 |
| GID-HTE10059 Artificial intelligence technologies to aid the opportunistic detection of vertebral fragility fractures | Kim Keltie, Rachel O’Leary, Elliot Blacklock, Paula Leslie, Eibhlin O’Sullivan, Paola Cognigni, Emma Belilios, Oleta Williams, Fiona Beyer, Najmeh Moradi, Hangjian Wu, Gurdeep Sagoo, Luke Vale, Andrew Sims | Ongoing |
Evidence Generation Plans: Following publication of an EVA, NICE may commission an EAG to develop a plan of how best to generate the evidence required to support future assessment and guidance development.
| Title | Authors | Publication date |
| RX328 ProKnow Cloud-based system for radiotherapy data archiving, communications and management evidence generation plan & delivery | Kim Keltie, Rosalyn Parker, Paula Leslie, Matthew Breckons, Emma Belilios, Luke Vale, Andrew Sims | March 2024 |
| RX339 Artificial Intelligence (AI)-derived software to help clinical decision making in stroke evidence generation plan | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Paula Leslie, Emma Belilios, Elliot Blacklock, Andrew Sims, Nick Meader, Gurdeep Sagoo | May 2024 |
Late Stage Assessments (LSAs): New process focussing on post-market assessment of technologies available to the NHS to ensure they still represent good value to the NHS.
| Title | Authors | Publication date |
| Transcatheter aortic valve implants for people with aortic stenosis | Kim Keltie, Rosalyn Parker, Rachel O’Leary, Paula Leslie, Edward O’Toole, Emma Belilios, Elliot Blacklock, Nick Meader, Oleta Williams, Sheila Wallace, Nawaraj Bhattarai, Sedighe Hosseinijebeli, Gurdeep Sagoo | Ongoing |
| Intermittent urethral catheters for long-term urinary management in adults | Kim Keltie, Paula Leslie, Elliot Blacklock, Humayra Dervin, Katrin Bangel, David Muir, Rachel O’Leary, Nawaraj Bhattarai, Giovany Orz | Ongoing |
Assessment reports
The EAG prepares assessment reports to support NICE’s medical technologies advisory committee.
Companies notifying their technologies to NICE for guidance development, submit summaries of the clinical and economic evidence supporting the adoption of their technology.
The EAG independently assesses this submission, and the wider evidence base, and summarises findings in an assessment report to enable the committee to formulate provisional recommendations in national guidance.
| Title | Authors | Publication date |
| GID-MT562 FibroScan for assessing liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in primary or community care | Kim Keltie, Rachel O’Leary, Rosalyn Parker, Emma Belilios, Alex Inskip, Fiona Beyer, Andrew Sims. Additional supporting documentation: Kim Keltie, Cristina Fernandez-Garcia, Rosalyn Parker, Matthew Reiling, Emma Belilios, Andrew Sims | June 2023 |
| GID-MT564 GreenLight XPS for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia [update] | Kim Keltie, Rosalyn Parker, Rachel O’Leary, Emma Belilios, Humayra Abdul-Razakq, Sonia Garcia Gonzalez Moral, Sheila Wallace, Andrew Sims | November 2022 |
| MTG72 Magtrace and Sentimag for locating sentinel lymph nodes | Kim Keltie, Rosalyn Parker, Emma Belilios, Joanne Davison, Humayra Abdul-Razakq, Catherine Richmond, Fiona Beyer, Andrew Sims | October 2022 |
| MTG64 KardiaMobile for detecting atrial fibrillation | Kim Keltie, Michael Drinnan, Alex Inskip, Fiona Beyer, Rachel O’Leary, Grace Fairlamb, Julie Burn, Derek Bousfield, Andrew Sims | January 2022 |
| MTG59 Plus Sutures for preventing surgical site infection | Iain Willits, Kim Keltie, Rachel O’Leary, Catherine Richmond, Fiona Beyer, Andrew Sims | June 2021 |
| MTG54 The VAC Veraflo Therapy system for acute infected or chronic wounds that are failing to heal | Iain Willits, Kim Keltie, Catherine Richmond, Fiona Beyer, Helen Cole, Andrew Sims | January 2021 |
| MTG49 Rezum for treating lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia | Iain Willits, Kim Keltie, Neil Watson, Jo Mullen, Mark Chambers, Joyce Craig, Helen Cole, Andrew Sims | June 2020 |
Evidence Reviews
The EAG reports on changes that may affect the validity of published guidance, including additional published evidence and costing updates.
| Review | Authors | Date |
| MTG43 PICO negative pressure wounddressings for closed surgical incisions | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Humayra Dervin, Emma Belilios, Michael Drinnan | February 2024 |
| MTG40 Mepilex Border Heel and Sacrum dressings for preventing pressure ulcers | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Matthew Reiling, Humayra Dervin, Rosalyn Parker, Emma Belilios, Andrew Sims | Awaiting publication |
| MTG41 Senza spinal cord stimulation system for delivering HF10 therapy to treat chronic neuropathic pain | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Matthew Reiling, Humayra Dervin, Emma Belilios, Michael Drinnan | August 2023 |
| MTG13 WatchBP Home A or opportunistically detecting atrial fibrillation during diagnosis and monitoring of hyper tension | Kim Keltie, Rosalyn Parker, Matthew Reiling, Emma Belilios, James Blake, Andrew Sims | January 2023 |
| MTG8 MiraQ for assessing graft flow during coronary artery bypass graft surgery | Kim Keltie, Rosalyn Parker, Emma Belilios, Rachel O’Leary, Humayra Abdul-Razakq, Joanne Davison, Andrew Sims | June 2022 |
| MTG38 Neuropad for detecting preclinical diabetic peripheral neuropathy | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Emma Belilios, Andrew Sims | September 2022 |
| MTG34 SecurAcath for securing percutaneous catheters | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Andrew Sims | August 2022 |
| MTG31 HumiGard for preventing inadvertent perioperative hypothermia | Iain Willits, Kim Keltie, Andrew Sims | December 2020 |
Costing Updates: Costing updates may be required as part of the guidance review process if the cost of the device or other relevant resources are likely to have changed significantly. The cost model parameters are updated to reflect current values and the results used to estimate current savings associated with the use of the technology.
| Costing update | Authors | Date |
| MTG40 Mepilex Border Heel and Sacrum dressings for preventing pressure ulcers | Tumi Sotire, Kim Keltie, Luke Vale, Stephen Rice | Awaiting publication |
Meta-analysis: Meta-analysis may be required (or updated) as part of the guidance review process.
| Meta-analysis update | Authors | Date |
| MTG43 PICO negative pressure wound dressings for closed surgical incisions | Kim Keltie, Akvile Stoniute, David Muir, Humayra Dervin, Emma Belilios, Susan Reece, Nick Meader, Andrew Sims | Completed March 2024, informed guidance update decision |
Medtech Innovation Briefings (MIBs)
From April 2023, MIB production and maintenance ceased. MIBs were designed to support NHS and social care commissioners and staff who are considering using new medical devices and other medical or diagnostic technologies, by providing fast, flexible and responsive summaries of evidence available for innovative technologies.
| MIB | Authors | Date |
| Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography (CESM) | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Rosalyn Parker, Derek Bousfield, Catherine Richmond, Fiona Beyer, Matthew Reiling, Emma Belilios, Andrew Sims | August 2022 |
| MIB242 Artificial Intelligence in mammography | Rachel O’Leary, Kim Keltie, Helen Cole, Derek Bousfield, Sonia Garcia Gonzalez-Moral, Fiona Beyer, Andrew Sims | January 2021 |
| MIB232 KardiaMobile for the ambulatory detection of atrial fibrillation | Kim Keltie, Rachel O’Leary, Dor Wilson, Sheila Wallace, Andrew Sims | October 2020 |
Real World Evidence (RWE) support for Managed Access: Managed Access Agreements allow earlier access to promising technologies while evidence is collected to support their routine adoption into the NHS.
| Topic | Authors | Date |
| Reviewing the statistical analysis plans and technical support for two SMA topics | Kim Keltie, Ryan Kenny, Rosalyn Parker, Humayra Dervin, David Muir, Paula Leslie, Emma Belilios, Nick Meader, Andrew Sims | Ongoing |
Real world evidence
NICE guidance often recommends research to address identified evidence gaps before a positive recommendation can be made. The EAG works with NICE teams (including the NICE observational data unit) to facilitate further research on promising technologies where current evidence is limited.
The group has a particular interest in observational data collection and analysis. This includes setting up national clinical registries to collect data about particular technologies or treatments where additional knowledge is needed.
We also undertake data analysis based on routinely collected health data to assess safety and efficacy and to study patient pathways. A main source for this work is hospital episodes statistics (HES) data which covers NHS hospital activity in England.
Examples of observational research we have been involved in for NICE and other stakeholders:
Locations
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Freeman Hospital
Newcastle University
Evidence Synthesis Group and Health Economics Group
Contact us
Email: [email protected]
