The future of European health technology assessment is unfolding

A few weeks ago, our team attended the HTAi 2026 conference in Istanbul. It was an incredible week of learning, networking, and diving deep into the evolving landscape of health technology assessment.

Reflecting on the event, Director of Pharmaceutical Consulting, Stuart Mealing, shared a standout moment from the conference:

"For me, I think the most interesting session that I attended at HTAi was the review of the first Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA) that was published on the day of the talk. The room was full, and it was really interesting to hear the perspectives of both lead agencies on undertaking the work, as well as the projected efficiencies it would have on European health technology assessment (HTA). The third panellist also offered some thoughts on how such JCA reports will help streamline HTA in non-European countries."

While the JCA promises to streamline global market access, its arrival also sparks critical conversations about how these new methodologies will address the unique challenges of rare diseases and orphan drugs, a space we will be monitoring closely as more reports emerge.

If you want to find out more about how we can support your HTA needs, get in touch.

"Some of the most interesting projects were the hardest to model."

As YHEC celebrates its 40th anniversary, CEO Professor Matthew Taylor and Director of Digital Health Technologies Consulting Hayden Holmes reflect on the organisation's decades-long collaboration with NICE.

They explore the role of health economics in supporting evidence-based decision-making and examine the projects, methodological challenges and policy questions that have shaped this longstanding partnership over the years.

Read more. 

Reflecting on NHS ConfedExpo 2026

Members of the YHEC team recently attended the NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester. 

They shared their key takeaways from the event:

"We had an inspiring time at this year's conference. There were over 7,000 attendees at the event and the energy in the conference hall was plain to see. We had lots of interesting conversations with delegates across the public, private and third sector, demonstrating a clear enthusiasm for health economics evaluation of new services and technology in practice."

Find out more about our work with the NHS.

YHEC in the news

Air pollution remains one of the UK's most significant public health challenges, and we're pleased to see YHEC's research helping to inform the national conversation.

The research, conducted by Melissa Pegg and Mick Arber, was included in this recent Daily Express article exploring the health impacts of air pollution and the urgent need for action.

At YHEC, we're proud to support research that helps translate evidence into real-world impact; informing policy, improving public health and raising awareness of the issues that matter.

Read the article.

What does it take for a research paper to remain influential more than a decade after publication?

In 2012, YHEC published a landmark study estimating the current and future costs of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the UK. Fourteen years later, the paper has been cited more than 1,200 times and continues to inform healthcare policy, clinical guidelines, workforce planning and research around the world.

The study helped quantify the scale of diabetes as a challenge for healthcare systems, highlighting both the direct costs to the NHS and the wider societal impact. Its influence can be seen in publications, policy documents and guidance from organisations including NICE, Diabetes UK and the International Labour Organization.

As part of our 40th anniversary blog series, we're looking back at one of YHEC's most influential publications and exploring the impact it has had on healthcare decision-making over the past decade.

Read more. 

Meet the team: Emily Gregg

Our latest Meet the Team interview spotlights Dr Emily Gregg, Senior Medical Writer in YHEC’s Medical Communication service.

Emily shares her journey from academia to consultancy and discusses:

• Finding the "so what?" in data: How to craft compelling, audience-tailored narratives without losing scientific rigour.
• The sheer variety of consultancy: From managing complex health technology assessment (HTA) dossiers and peer-reviewed manuscripts to leading hands-on care pathway analyses.
• Navigating global impact: Helping clients understand the complex evidence requirements for international HTA submissions and the new EU Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA) process.

Read the full blog.

Staff news

Anne Littlewood has been promoted to Senior Research Consultant and Ben Hyde has been promoted to Research Consultant. 

Congratulations to them both!

YHEC's summer of fundraising for Move Mates

The YHEC team have kicked off a summer of fundraising for this year's charity, Move Mates. Move Mates helps people overcome barriers to walking by matching them with volunteer walking buddies, enabling them to become more active, build confidence and feel less isolated.

In June, YHEC Project Administrator, Rebecca Watts, took to the water to complete a mile-long swim in open water in challenging conditions. In July, a team of YHEC staff undertook the Yorkshire Three Peaks, covering approximately 24 miles and over 5,000 feet of ascent across Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

Donate to support our fundraising if you can.

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care

What will shape the next generation of health technology assessment (HTA)?

A new commentary, Next Generation Methods in Health Technology Assessment (HTA): Need, Rigor, and Implementability, captures the debate from Plenary Two at the HTAi Annual Meeting. YHEC's Melissa Pegg is a co-author of the publication, contributing to the discussion on how innovative methods in assessing environmental sustainability can support the future of HTA.

Read more.

BMC Health Services Research

YHEC's Rachael MacDonald, Nick Hex, Barbara Uzdzinska and Jessica Pocock have co-authored  a new analysis using public data, published research and the 2023 IBD UK survey to create a cost model covering prevalence, diagnosis, management, complications and mortality of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

The study found that although pharmacological treatment accounts for a substantial proportion of expenditure on irritable bowel disease, effective control of inflammation and maintenance of remission are likely critical for reducing downstream complications, hospitalisation, surgery, disability and productivity losses.

Read the publication via our website.

Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research

A new publication, co-authored by YHEC's Amy Dymond and Will Green, presents a disease progression model comparing cipaglucosidase alfa plus miglustat with alglucosidase alfa for adults with late-onset Pompe disease.

The paper highlights how advanced modelling approaches can help evaluate long-term outcomes in rare diseases, where traditional lifetime evidence is often unavailable, supporting evidence generation for healthcare decision-making.

Find out more.

Where evidence meets impact

YHEC has a multidisciplinary team at the forefront of health economics and evidence synthesis. Our work spans health economic modelling, systematic reviews, outcomes research, evidence synthesis, real-world evidence and methodological research, providing opportunities to collaborate with academic, public sector and industry partners on projects with tangible impact.

Just as importantly, YHEC is a place where people enjoy working. In our staff survey, 97% of employees said YHEC is a great place to work, reflecting our collaborative culture, commitment to professional development and supportive working environment.

Visit our website regularly to explore our current vacancies and discover how a career at YHEC can help you make a meaningful contribution to improving healthcare decision-making.