The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced the appointment of Dr Adrian Hayter as its new Chief Medical Officer (CMO), further strengthening the organisation’s clinical leadership team.
Dr Hayter’s appointment follows the recent arrival of CEO Professor Jonathan Benger, and comes at a pivotal time as NICE expands its role in driving innovation, improving value in healthcare, and supporting the NHS’s shift towards neighbourhood‑based, person‑centred care.
Dr Hayter brings more than 30 years of experience as a practising clinician and healthcare leader, with expertise spanning general practice, NHS commissioning, and national clinical leadership.
He continues to work as a GP at Runnymede Medical Practice, and will celebrate 30 years as a GP partner next year, reflecting a career-long commitment to primary care and patient‑centred practice.
His experience at both frontline and system level is seen as a key strength as NICE continues to evolve its role within the NHS.
Over his career, Dr Hayter has held a number of influential leadership positions.
He chaired the Windsor, Ascot, and Maidenhead Clinical Commissioning Group between 2013 and 2018 and later became the first GP to serve as National Clinical Director for Older People and Person‑Centred Care at NHS England.
In that role, which he held throughout the COVID‑19 pandemic, he led work focused on improving care for older adults and embedding more personalised approaches to treatment and support.
Dr Hayter also currently serves as Medical Director for Clinical Policy at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), where he has supported a network of GPs shaping clinical policy across all four nations of the UK.
In addition, he holds an academic role as a Visiting Professor of Gerontology at Singapore University of Social Science, reflecting his expertise in ageing and population health.
Dr Hayter’s appointment comes as NICE undertakes a major phase of transformation, expanding its influence across technology, clinical pathways, and system‑wide value for money.
From this month, NICE will extend its technology appraisal process, requiring the NHS to fund high‑impact health technologies that meet critical service needs.
At the same time, a new joint process with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will help accelerate patient access to new medicines by up to six months, improving the speed at which innovations reach patients.
Beyond new technologies, NICE is also strengthening its role in ensuring the NHS delivers maximum value from existing treatments.
A new approach will see NICE continually re‑evaluate clinical pathways, identifying where older treatments no longer offer good value. This will allow resources to be redirected towards newer, more effective innovations.
The aim is to ensure every pound spent delivers the greatest possible benefit for patients, supporting both sustainability and improved outcomes.
The NHS is increasingly focusing on neighbourhood‑based care models, bringing services closer to communities and tailoring care to individual needs.
NICE said Dr Hayter’s combination of clinical insight and strategic leadership makes him ideally placed to guide the organisation as it adapts to this shift.
His background in primary care, commissioning and national policy is expected to support closer integration between guidance, clinical practice, and local service delivery.
Dr Hayter will play a central role in:
- Shaping clinical guidance and policy
- Supporting adoption of new treatments and technologies
- Driving improvements in patient outcomes and system efficiency
Commenting on his new role, Dr Hayter said:
“I am honoured to be joining NICE as chief medical officer at such a critical time for health and care. As a GP, I rely on NICE guidance every day to make sure my patients receive the best evidence-based care, from prescribing decisions to managing long-term conditions.
"I know first-hand how vital it is that NICE's guidance is not only independent, but developed in a way that allows clinicians to deliver the best possible care, and I am committed to ensuring NICE continues to play its full part in a health system that must keep evolving to meet the needs of patients and the public.
"My ambition is to ensure NICE continues to drive innovation into the hands of clinicians and commissioners, delivering real improvements in health outcomes while making the best use of the resources available to the NHS."
As NICE continues to evolve, its role in balancing innovation, patient safety and value for money is becoming increasingly critical.
With major reforms under way and closer alignment with national programmes such as the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, the appointment of Dr Adrian Hayter signals a continued focus on evidence‑based, patient‑centred decision‑making at the heart of the health system.
Image credit: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
