NICE International in Vietnam

NICE International began a two-year programme funded by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2013 with the Vietnam Health Economics Association (VHEA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, to help strengthen HTA capacity and improve quality care through the development and application of locally adapted clinical practice pathways and accompanying quality standards in high priority non-communicable diseases. NICE International will be providing technical assistance with building local capacity for the rational use of clinical guidelines through Quality Standards, review of methods and process of basic package design and update. This includes training and in evaluating clinical and cost effectiveness of medicines.

February 2014

Progress update: NICE International's work on provider payment reforms and improved quality in Vietnam

November 2013

NICE International is supporting Quality Standards for stroke, and HTA development in Vietnam

During 11 - 17 November, NICE International and partners visited Hanoi and delivered on key milestones for both the Quality Standards (QS) and Basic Package design/Health Technology Assessment (HTA) workstreams of the Rockefeller-funded Vietnam project. The team also visited hospitals in Hanoi and Ninh Binh province, meeting with managers and clinicians to gain first-hand understanding of the opportunities for improvement in stroke care, and more widely in payment mechanisms and healthcare delivery.

• QS Workshop for the Hospital Management of Acute Stroke
• Support for basic package design & HTA in Vietnam conference

Health Minister Madame Nguyen Thi Kiem Tien has articulated the Ministry's continued commitment to partnership with NICE International in developing capacity for increased quality of care. Both the QS and HTA workstreams will inform the actions for improving existing clinical processes, using stroke as a starting point, with a view to broadening the application of evidence-informed priority-setting principles to other high-burden clinical areas in Vietnam.

October 2013

Health Minister Madame Tien visits NICE

In the second visit to NICE by the Ministry of Health, Vietnam, Health Minister Madame Tien led the delegation and learned about the role of GPs and primary care in the NHS from Dr Maggie Helliwell, the Vice Chair of NICE and a GP. Primary care will be an important part of Vietnam's healthcare reform strategy. The Ministry of Health and NICE engaged in dialogue about opportunities to strengthen our ongoing collaboration (in quality improvement and HTA capacity-building) into a long-term partnership covering broad strategic areas, to create sustainable institutions that deliver improved health for the population of Vietnam.

July 2013

Vietnamese Ministry of Health visits NICE

A delegation from the Ministry of Health of Vietnam and affiliated organisations, led by the Vice Minister for Health, Madame Xuyen spent five days with NICE to help inform the Ministry's strategy for quality improvement.

The group learnt about the structure of the NHS, NICE HTA processes, the development and Implementation of guidelines, Quality Standards including pay for performance schemes and the role and structure of Primary Care in the UK. They visited the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the stroke Unit at St Thomas' hospital in London. The Study Tour was funded by the Joint Learning Fund. Summarising her experience of the Study Tour Madame Xuyen said: “this is one of the most interesting and useful trip they have ever participated in.

May 2013

Francoise Cluzeau and Tommy Wilkinson delivered a two-day introductory course on Technology Appraisal, Clinical Guidelines/Pathways and Quality Standard in Hanoi.