Dr Dianne Ketley, MRPharmS, has been appointed to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's technology appraisal committee (see panel).
Dr Ketley, the only pharmacist among 24 people appointed to the committee for three years, leads the clinical governance programme at Leicester Royal infirmary. She is also an honorary lecturer in the department of medicine and therapeutics at Leicester university. Her PhD thesis concerned the translation of evidence into practice.
The NICE technology appraisal committee, chaired by Professor David Barnett (professor of clinical pharmacology, Leicester university), will primarily advise the NICE board on the use by the National Health Service of new or established treatments in relation to their cost-effectiveness and taking into account the interests of the NHS as a whole.
The committee might also be asked by the board to advise on other matters on an ad hoc basis.
Announcing the appointments to the appraisal committee on September 27, Professor Sir Michael Rawlins (chairman, NICE) said: "Our appraisal committee is a unique body. I do not believe that such a combination of patient advocates, NHS clinicians and managers, academic experts and industry representation has been brought together to work on a national basis before."
The appraisal committee is expected to meet once, and occasionally twice, each month for a day and to deal with about four appraisals at each meeting. Some appraisals will be considered for the first time, with some returning later for final determination.
The committee's standing membership will be supplemented by technology-specific experts brought in for the day to bring first-hand knowledge to the committee's work. There will be up to five such members at each meeting, appointed for the day by either the chairman, vice-chairman or chief executive.
The members of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's technology appraisal committee are:
Professor David Barnett (professor of clinical pharmacology, University of Leicester) (chairman); Professor Ronald Akehurst (professor of health economics, Sheffield university); Professor Sir Colin Berry (professor of morbid anatomy, London Hospital medical college); Professor Martin Buxton (director, health economics research group, Brunel university); Professor Yvonne Carter (professor of general practice and primary care, St Bartholomew’s and Royal London school of medicine); Dr Karl Claxton (economics lecturer, University of York); Professor Duncan Colin-Jones (professor of gastroenterology, Southampton university); Professor Sarah Cowley (professor of community practice development, King’s College London); Dr Nicki Cullum (reader in health studies, University of York); Mr Christopher Evennett (chief executive, Mid-Hampshire primary care group); Ms Jean Gaffin (a former executive director of the National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services); Dr Trevor Gibbs (director of international medical operations, Glaxo Wellcome R&D Ltd); Dr Sheila Gore (senior medical statistician, Medical Research Council biostatistics unit, Cambridge); Mr John Goulston (finance director, Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust); Professor Phillip Home (professor of diabetes medicine, University of Newcastle); Dr Terry John (general medical practitioner, Walthamstow, London); Dr Dianne Ketley (clinical governance programme leader, Leicester Royal infirmary); Dr Mayur Lakhani (GP, Leicester); Mr Muntzer Mughal (consultant surgeon, Chorley and South Ribble NHS trust); Mr James Partridge (chief executive, Changing Faces); Dr Linda Patterson (consultant physician, Burnley general hospital); Professor Philip Routledge (professor of clinical pharmacology, University of Wales); Professor Andrew Stevens (professor of public health, University of Birmingham); and Ms Susan Gallagher (chief executive, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth health authority).