The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7178 p839-846
15 December 2001

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Society to collaborate over guidelines

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is to work with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence at three of its six national collaborating centres. The centres will develop clinical guidelines and audit advice for England and Wales.

The six centres will be based at appropriate Royal colleges. They are:

• Acute care (Royal College of Surgeons of England)
• Chronic conditions (Royal College of Physicians)
• Nursing and supportive care (Royal College of Nursing Institute)
• Mental health (British Psychological Society and Royal College of Psychiatrists)
• Women and children's health (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)
• Primary care (Royal College of General Practitioners)

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society will be involved as a partner organisation with the centres for chronic conditions, mental health and primary care. Partner organisations can contribute to the initial scope of a guideline or audit, to multidisciplinary development groups and can submit evidence. They will also be consulted on any provisional guidance produced.

Clinical guidelines are recommendations for care in specific clinical conditions or circumstances and are designed to help health care professionals and patients make informed choices. Clinical audit advice is aimed at helping health care professionals to both review the care they are providing and to make improvements that bring that care closer to agreed best practice.

Two other units have been established by NICE to support the collaborating centres. A "national guidelines and audit patient involvement unit" will give advice and support for patients and carers involved in guideline development. This will be hosted by the College of Health.

A "national guidelines support and research unit" will give advice on methodological issues and undertake research to increase the understanding of methodological aspects of guidelines. This will be based at the University of Newcastle.

NICE has also formed a guidelines advisory committee to monitor the commissioning and quality of its work on guidelines and audit.

Full details of the collaborating centres, partner organisations and topics under consideration can be found on the NICE website (www.nice.org.uk).

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