The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has started consultation on its proposed process for the development of national clinical guidelines.
In general terms, the process will begin with a recommendation from the NICE guidelines advisory committee of a lead organisation for each proposed guideline. The details of each individual commission will then be agreed between the lead organisation and the institute. These are expected to include the scope of the guideline, who should be involved with its development, literature reviewing, cost and clinical effectiveness assessment, audit and the timescale and resources needed. Once a draft guideline has been prepared it will be sent to nominated groups as part of a formal consultation process. Changes will be made, if necessary, and the guideline will then be recommended by the advisory committee to the institute. If accepted, the guideline will then be published.

The building at London's Long Acre in which the NICE has its offices

Topics for clinical guidelines

The first topics for which the Government and the Welsh National Assembly have asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to produce clinical guidelines are:

• Non-insulin dependent diabetes
• Early pharmacological management of schizophrenia
• Prevention and treatment of pressure sores
• A national cancer group programme (including additional urological, head and neck, haematological and cutaneous malignancies)
• Peptic ulcer and dyspepsia
• Depressive illness in the community
• Acute myocardial infarction
• Management of completed myocardial infarction in primary care
• Hypertension
• Routine pre-operative investigations
• Multiple sclerosis.