Benefits of implementation

Implementing NICE guidelines offers benefits to patients and carers, healthcare professionals and organisations.

NICE guidance can help patients and carers

• Receive care in line with the best available evidence of clinical and cost-effectiveness
• Empower patients to be accountable for their care, knowing how they will be cared for in a consistent evidence-based approach, thus building patients confidence in NHS services
• Improve their own health and prevent disease.

NICE guidance can help healthcare professionals

• Ensure care provided is based on the best evidence available
• Ensure clinicians meet the standards set by regulatory bodies and that they consider NICE guidance when exercising their clinical judgement
• Enable all staff dealing with patient queries to have confidence in the approaches to care
• Effectively target resources and efforts at the areas that offer the most significant health improvement.

NICE guidance can help organisations

• Meet the NHSLA risk management standards and benefit from reduced claims and risk management premiums
• Enable organisations to meet the requirements in the NHS operating framework for England for 2010/11
• Benefit from any identified disinvestment opportunities, cost savings or opportunities for re-directing resources
• Meet government indicators and targets for health improvement and reducing health inequalities.
• Help local government fulfil its remit to promote the economic and social well-being of its communities.
• Provide a focus for multi-sector partnership working on health.

Accessing treatment recommended by NICE

• NICE is working with the Care Quality Commission to ensure that their new monitoring processes and systems take account of NICE guidance. We will publish further information here when it is available. In the meantime, if you think a treatment that has been recommended by NICE is suitable for you please talk to a member of your healthcare team.

NICE Technology Appraisals and Clinical Trials Participation

Participation in clinical trials and subsequent access to drugs appraised by NICE - a statement on the applicability of technology appraisal guidance.

Patients taking part in clinical trials may receive drugs which have been evaluated by NICE technology appraisal guidance (TAs). Queries have been raised regarding the applicability of NICE TAs for patients who have previously received the same medication as part of a clinical trial.

Research is a core function of the NHS. Use of NICE appraised medicines within the clinical trial context should be viewed as use in new and experimental circumstances. It should be noted that in these circumstances the drug is not being prescribed as part of routine clinical practice.

Arrangements for the supply and funding of the technology provided in clinical trials after the trial ends should be agreed with appropriate commissioners before the trial commences. Once the clinical trial ends, the patient will need to discuss with their doctor whether it is clinically appropriate to continue receiving the medication.

For the avoidance of any doubt, if a patient's clinical condition falls within the recommendation of a NICE technology appraisal, they should be prescribed the medication as recommended in the guidance, regardless of any previous participation in a clinical trial in which they may have received medicines for their condition

On occasion, NICE will make a recommendation that a drug should not be prescribed, but that patients who are currently receiving it as part of their routine clinical care should continue to do so. It is important to note that this recommendation does not cover situations where patients are receiving the medication as part of a clinical trial.

Further documents

• Using NICE guidance to promote health and wellbeing - for people working with local communities
• Involving patients and the public in implementing NICE guidance
• Patient and public activities to support the use of NICE guidance