Working with NICE

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) was set up by the Government as an independent health authority responsible for producing evidence-based public health and clinical guidance for the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Guidance for Scotland is produced by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). This article describes the workings of NICE and how health professionals and their professional organisations can influence the choice and content of guidelines. Health professionals should be aware of the guidance so they can contribute to it and use it in their own practice. They can use it to improve practice and even, at times, as a lever to protect endangered services from cutbacks.