Did you know?.. Centre for Health Technology Evaluation master's programme

Thinking outside of the box

A few years ago, colleagues in the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation (CHTE) started to look at different ways to tackle resource gaps. This included thinking about the different ways we recruit into the team and what pragmatic steps could be taken to improve this.

It was time to bring some new ideas to the table and think 'outside of the box'. Ideas that would create a lasting impact beyond the centre, and throughout the whole of NICE.

Enter a completely new and bespoke approach through the introduction of our CHTE master's training programme...

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'Growing our own' analysts

To meet the ever increasing demands to assess more new medicines and technologies, we recognised a need to expand our health technology assessment team. But, finding individuals with the required skills and knowledge to join us at the appropriate health technology assessment (HTA) analyst level was sometimes a recruitment challenge.

And so, we decided to ‘grow our own’…

"Historically, we've had difficulty recruiting to specialist technical analyst roles. This programme allows us to develop a 'pipeline of talent'. People who by the end of the programme have exactly the skills we're looking for, while recruits get on the job experience."
Ross Dent, associate director - technology appraisals

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Working studies

In 2020, the centre launched its pilot associate HTA analyst training programme.

Born out of the CHTE2020 resource and structures working group, this pilot aimed to offer candidates the opportunity to work as an associate HTA analyst at NICE.

At the same time, they would also be funded to study part-time for a master's degree in health economics and decision modelling.

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The programme offers valuable benefits for both candidates and our organisation

Reaping the benefits

The programme benefits for candidates would be:

An opportunity to join NICE in an HTA analyst role, despite limited experience or qualifications to apply for a full time vacancy.
In-house training and hands-on experience in a live working environment.
Exposure to other teams and programmes of work within CHTE to build knowledge of guidance production.
Fully funded master's degree at the University of Sheffield to strengthen their career portfolio.

The programme benefits for NICE would be:

A way to recruit valuable extra capacity into our busy HTA teams.
The opportunity to ‘grow our own’ analysts, giving them the training and development needed to work effectively in line with NICE-specific processes.
Potential future NICE colleagues, educated to a degree level who may choose NICE as their permanent career path.

Ready to launch

In January 2020, recruitment began and, after a multi-stage assessment, we confirmed our first cohort of candidates, ready to join us from September of that year.

Cohort 1 was made up of 4 associate analyst roles. Based in technology appraisals (TA) for a 2 year period, they were involved in all aspects of the TA process. This included drafting their own scope documents and observing meetings throughout the life cycle of a topic.

Through this, they gained a deep understanding of the TA process and experienced the challenges we can face. They also saw first-hand how we interact with external stakeholders such as committee chairs, patient groups and companies.

Congratulations cohort 1!

In September 2022, all 4 candidates successfully completed their studies and graduated from our pilot programme.

We’re pleased to share that all 4 graduates were also successfully recruited into fully fledged HTA analyst roles here at NICE! Congratulations cohort 1!

"After their first year, the associate analysts were able to take on more substantive pieces of work. This included being the lead analyst and drafting the important guidance document after taking certain topics to committee. This experience will prove vital as they begin their full-time roles."
Alan Moore, cohort 1 line manager in the CHTE master's programme

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A collaborative effort

This is a perfect example of a multi-disciplinary team effort. Members of CHTE, finance, HR and procurement teams have worked collaboratively and enthusiastically to create this innovative programme.

"What a fantastic achievement – I’m so proud and excited for the first cohort. From the inception of the idea onwards, this has shown the desire for effective workforce planning, confidence and support to try new approaches, learning by ‘doing’, and continued investment in developing for our future ambitions."
Jen Prescott, programme director for the technology appraisals team

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Say hello to our cohort 1 graduates...

Rebecca Thomas, health technology assessment analyst and cohort 1 graduate

Rebecca Thomas

Health technology assessment analyst and cohort 1 graduate

"Previously, I managed a research project on the technical feasibility of next generation sequencing in newborn screening. This made me think about how new technologies are recommended for use in the NHS.

"This programme has allowed me to pursue this as a career, whilst giving me a strong foundation in health economics and decision modelling via the master's degree."

Cara Gibbons

Health technology assessment analyst and cohort 1 graduate

"I joined the programme with an interest in both health and statistics following an undergraduate degree in psychology. The master's scheme has been a fantastic opportunity to learn the technical aspects of health technology assessment whilst gaining on-the-job experience at NICE.

"Working alongside leading industry professionals both at work and university has provided invaluable experience which has supported the beginning of my health economics career."

Cara Gibbons, health technology analyst and cohort 1 graduate

George Millington, health technology assessment analyst and cohort 1 graduate

George Millington

Health technology assessment analyst and cohort 1 graduate

"I joined the associate analyst programme having heard of NICE but having no real experience in health economics. Working during the course has been invaluable in providing practical experience and the MSc has really helped me develop an understanding of the concepts behind what we do day to day.

"It has been challenging at points but I have felt very supported by everyone at NICE. I feel I can really hit the ground running as a full-time technical analyst."

Ross Wilkinson

Health technology assessment analyst and cohort 1 graduate

"I was originally interested in joining NICE based on the organisation's reputation in the life sciences sector. The associate analyst programme appealed to me because it offered a guaranteed development opportunity in the form of a master’s.

"Over the last 2 years I've really enjoyed completing the course. The content is well aligned with the work the technology appraisals team does, which is perhaps unsurprising given many of the lecturers work regularly with NICE!

"I would also like to say how much I appreciate the support I've been given, and how generous the team has been with their time over the last 2 years."

Ross Wilkinson, health technology assessment analyst and cohort 1 graduate

The new structure enables a change in direction for year 2 of the programme

Expanding the opportunity

Recruitment for our second cohort began in 2021. To widen the programme benefits further, the structure was changed to split the 2 year placement at NICE into 2 parts. This team rotation could be made up of a combination of any of the CHTE teams involved in the programme. An example of a candidate journey could be:

year 1 - based in technology appraisals
year 2 - rotated to scientific advice.

This allows more of our teams to reap the benefits of additional capacity, but also gives the candidates skills and experience across multiple areas.

The different CHTE teams involved in this rotation approach include:

technology appraisals
NICE scientific advice
interventional procedures
diagnostics assessment programme
medical technologies evaluation programme.

Cohort 2: halfway there!

Our cohort 2 colleagues are now halfway through their journey, having successfully completed their first year as of September 2022. October marks the start of year 2, and their rotation into a different part of the organisation.

“NICE has offered a tremendous amount of help, support, and encouragement throughout my first year of the programme. Having the opportunity to work multiple rotations between different teams has been a great experience, boosting both my career and personal development.”
Haider Shamsi, associate health technology analyst and cohort 2 member

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Welcoming our cohort 3 'newbies'

We've also now welcomed our cohort 3 candidates, who took their first steps on the programme this year.

If the cohorts before them are anything to go by, they have a fantastic experience ahead of them, with great opportunities for learning and progression within this exciting field of work.

Looking ahead

"The programme's success is a testament to all the hard work and effort from everybody involved. It’s a fantastic initiative that really demonstrates how well we collaborate here at NICE. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the accomplishments of our current and future cohorts and supporting them on their journey."
Jonathan Simpson, project manager - centre coordination team