The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7345 p443
16 April 2005

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News summary

Public health topics for NICE guidance announced

The first public health topics for evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have been announced. These, along with additional topics including a clinical guideline on medicines concordance, were referred to NICE by the Secretary of State for Health last week. Interventions that will be assessed include:

· Interventions to reduce transmission of chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections, and to reduce the rate of pregnancy in under 18-year-olds

· Brief interventions and referral for smoking cessation in primary care, including pharmacy, dental and GP services, with particular reference to pregnant smokers and other disadvantaged groups

NICE will also produce guidance on public health programmes, including:

· Guidance for pharmacies, primary care, local authorities and workplaces on the optimal provision of smoking cessation services, including provision of nicotine replacement therapy

· Guidance for pharmacists, midwives, health visitors and other providers of primary care services on improving the nutrition of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and children, in low income households

Proposals for how NICE will develop public health guidance are currently out for consultation with practitioners and the public (PJ, 26 March, p353).

Medicines Partnership has been working with NICE for several months with the aim of getting medicines concordance included on its work programme. Joanne Shaw, director of Medicines Partnership, told The Journal that the guidance will be an important way of reaching a large number of health professionals and informing and educating them about the importance of partnership and how to achieve it.

“It is a powerful communication mechanism, a way of underscoring the importance of [concordance] in the eyes of the NHS,” she said.

“We would expect the guideline to draw upon all of the evidence that shows the benefit of concordance and indicates how health professionals can interact successfully with patients to create partnerships,” she added.