NICE quality standards

NICE quality standards are a concise set of statements designed to drive and measure priority quality improvements within a particular area of care.

NICE quality standards are derived from the best available evidence such as NICE guidance and other evidence sources accredited by NICE. They are developed independently by NICE, in collaboration with health and social care professionals, their partners and service users. Evidence relating to effectiveness and cost effectiveness, people's experience of using services, safety issues, equality and cost impact are considered during the development process.

NICE quality standards are central to supporting the Government's vision for a health and social care system focussed on delivering the best possible outcomes for people who use services, as detailed in the Health and Social Care Act (2012).

NICE quality standards enable:

• Health, public health and social care professionals to make decisions about care based on the latest evidence and best practice.
• People receiving health and social care services, their families and carers and the public to find information about the quality of services and care they should expect from their health and social care provider.
• Service providers to quickly and easily examine the performance of their organisation and assess improvement in standards of care they provide.
• Commissioners to be confident that the services they are purchasing are high quality and cost effective and focussed on driving up quality.

Quality standards for health

Quality standards for health focus on the treatment and prevention of different diseases and conditions.

Quality standards will be reflected in the new Clinical Commissioning Group Outcome Indicator Set (CCGOIS) and will inform payment mechanisms and incentive schemes such as the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) Payment Framework.

The Department of Health and other key partners have worked with NICE to develop a core library of topics for quality standard development in health-related topics. Future topics will be referred to NICE by NHS England.

For information on the NICE quality standards for health work schedule for 2013/14 please refer to the quality standards forward planner.

More information about NICE quality standards for health

Quality standards for social care

Quality standards for social care focus on the services and interventions to support the social care needs of service users.

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 sets out a new responsibility for NICE to develop quality standards and other guidance for social care in England. Future topics will be referred by the Department of Health and Department for Education.

As part of our preparation for taking on this new role in April 2013, the Department of Health asked NICE to run a programme for developing social care quality standards using two topics:

• Supporting people to live well with dementia
• Health and wellbeing of looked-after children and young people

More information on this programme of work is available.

Quality standards for public health

Following the new public health responsibilities for local authorities, which came into effect in April 2013, NICE has been referred a programme of quality standards for public health. NICE, working with experts from Public Health England, will develop new quality standards on reducing tobacco use in the community, preventing harmful alcohol use, and strategies to prevent obesity in adults and children. These new topics complement other public health topics already referred to NICE by ministers with a healthcare focus: smoking cessation: supporting people to stop smoking; alcohol: preventing and managing alcohol misuse; and physical activity: encouraging activity in all people in contact with the NHS.

Public health quality standards will support Public Health England, local authorities and the wider public health community. The first public health quality standard on smoking cessation is expected to publish in August 2013. This will be followed by a consultation on further topics for the longer term work programme.

A full list of the quality standard topics referred to NICE for health, social care and public health.

Quality standards in development

View NICE quality standards currently in development.