The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is tasked with providing guidance on current best practice in health treatment and care, including public health, to the NHS in England and Wales.
The Department of Health has a formal link with the Institute under which NICE guidance, published from 1 July 2006, is reviewed locally for its applicability to Northern Ireland and, where found to be applicable, is endorsed by the Department for implementation in Health and Social Care (HSC).
The Department reviewed its process for the endorsement, implementation, monitoring and assurance of NICE guidance in Northern Ireland (2013). A revised process came into effect on 18 December 2013 which replaced the previous arrangements. The governance framework for processing NICE guidance in Northern Ireland is available on the Department of Health website.
The process addresses two types of NICE guidance:
- Technology appraisals (TAs) which describe whether or not a drug, medical device or surgical procedure should be funded by the NHS, based on its cost-effectiveness
- Clinical guidelines (CGs) to describe recommendations on the management of people with specific diseases and conditions – regarded as standards that the NHS is expected to achieve over time.
Please follow the links below to view or download information on the following:
If you have any issues or queries relating to the implementation of NICE Guidance please contact us by email: SPPG-NICEInbox@hscni.net