Any new procedure that meets the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) definition below is required to be referred to the New Interventional Procedure Committee for approval before implementation. Not strictly a research committee, research projects may be referred to them if a change in interventional practice is likely to result from the research project.

A New Interventional Procedure (NIP) may or may not involve a New Medical Device.

The NIP Committee defines the process to be followed when an interventional procedure:

• is new to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• is new to an individual consultant
• otherwise falls within the NICE definition below

NICE’s definitions state that a NIP must:

• involve an incision or a puncture or entry into a body cavity, or the use of ionising, electromagnetic or acoustic energy; and
• be available within the NHS or independent sector, or be about to be used for the first time, outside formal research; and
• either not yet be generally considered standard clinical practice; or
• be a standard clinical procedure, the efficacy or safety of which has been called into question by new information or advice.

Procedures do not fall within the Programme’s remit if they are considered standard clinical practice with an efficacy and safety profile that is sufficiently well known. All surgical procedures carry some risks. It is the extent of uncertainty surrounding the efficacy and safety that the IP Programme investigates. The final decision regarding the suitability of a procedure for inclusion in the Programme is made by the Director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation and the Chair of the Committee. All decisions are recorded on the NICE website.