Job summary
- Main area
- Highly Specialised Technologies Committee lay member
- Grade
- Lay member
- Contract
- Tenure - Committee tenure is usually for a period of 3 years. This has the potential to be extended following review, and the maximum tenure is 10 years.
- Hours
- To attend 80% of all committee meetings
- Job ref
- 907-CM-004
- Employer
- NICE - The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Virtual
- Town
- Virtual
- Salary
- £150 - £300 Honorarium £300 full day, £150 half day
- Salary period
- Session by session
- Closing
- 09/08/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 22/09/2026
Employer heading
Lay member on the Highly Specialised Technologies Committee
Lay member
Job overview
We are looking for people with lived experience who are interested in how medicines and technologies are approved for use in the NHS, if this is you, please read on for more information on how to join our Highly Specialised Technologies Committee.
Below you will find all the information you need as well as in the attached role description and person specification
Time commitment: 3 Years
How to apply
Please read the role description thoroughly and use the apply now link to complete an application.
If you have an access requirement that prevents you from applying online, please contact [email protected] and we can provide MS word versions of the forms to complete.
Main duties of the job
What does the role involve?
- attending committee meetings and taking part in discussions to shape the guidance
- reading committee paper
- commenting on documents between meetings
- keeping the committee’s work confidential
What am I expected to do?
- Make sure the views, experiences and interests of patients or people who use health and social care services are considered by the committee.
- Identify areas of concern to people using NHS, public health or social care services.
- Review topic information and the draft guidance from a patient, service user, carer or community perspective. For instance, does the information address issues important to people affected by the guidance? Does the guidance take their views into account?
- Make sure the guidance considers people from different backgrounds.
Working for our organisation
A member of the people and communities team will be available throughout your time with us, to offer help and support.
You will be offered training and guidance to ensure you feel confident on committee, as well as regular chats with your contact.
If you have any special requirements, for example access or travel needs, we can discuss this with you and make adjustments where needed.
What’s in it for me?
- You will be helping to make national and local health and social care services work better for patients, people who use services, carers or the public.
- Previous lay members have said they found their confidence improved, as well as developing skills like public speaking and critical thinking.
- Being a member of a NICE committee shows you are an expert by experience. It also shows you can work in a team, as an equal contributor to the committee alongside healthcare and other professionals.
Expenses and benefits
You will receive payment for each committee meeting you attend which is a recognition of the time spent reading, preparing, and corresponding before and after meetings, with other expenses payable depending on your situation:
- £300 – scheduled meetings of more than 4 hours (full day)
- £150 – scheduled meetings up to and including 4 hours (half day)
For more information about the attendance fee, what you can claim for, and how the fee could affect benefit payments, read our guides:
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Who we're looking for
We’re looking for people with a range of lived experience from across the health sector. You will also have an interest in how medicines are assessed and made available for use in the NHS and how this might affect patient populations and their carers and families
• through personal experience you have of treatment and care provided for you by the NHS
• as a relative or unpaid carer of someone who has used relevant health services
• as an advocate, volunteer, or officer of a relevant voluntary organisation or support group.
We would also be interested to hear what experience you have of either how medicines are approved in the NHS or how the NHS go about implementing NICEs recommendations. This may be though any work you have been involved in around service design or monitoring in either hospitals, GP surgeries or via local groups such as HealthWatch. – please note this experience is not essential.
You will also have:
- good communication and team-working skills
- the ability to listen and take part in constructive debate, while being respectful of other people’s views
- knowledge of the experiences of people who face disadvantage and discrimination which gives you the ability to champion a range of different perspectives
Person specification
Ability to contribute to the work of the committee
Essential criteria
- Please tell us how your personal experience relates to this role. In your response, please provide brief details of any experience you have of treatment and/or services which you consider relevant to the role. This could be in one or more of the following: personal experience, relative or carer, voluntary organisation or support group.
- What do you think are the most important issues for patients, carers and service users in relation to the work of this committee? Please give us your top 3.
- We will need you to ensure that a broad range of perspectives of patients, people who use services, and their carers is considered. What experience, skills, networks or knowledge do you have to be able to do this on behalf of others?
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Essential criteria
- NICE aims to promote equality, prevent discrimination and reduce avoidable differences in health between different groups of people. What do you think the committee may need to be mindful of, and what experience can you apply to this role?
Other
Essential criteria
- Please tell us about any other personal experience you would like to share (in relation to the work of this committee) that you have not been able to address elsewhere in this application.
Values
Essential criteria
- Which of NICE values listed in the 2025/26 business plan is most important to you as a leader and why?
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Richard Diaz
- Job title
- Associate Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
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