NICE quality standards

NICE quality standards are a set of specific, concise statements and associated measures. They set out aspirational, but achievable, markers of high-quality, cost-effective patient care, covering the treatment and prevention of different diseases and conditions.

Derived from the best available evidence such as NICE guidance and other evidence sources accredited by NHS Evidence, they are developed independently by NICE, in collaboration with NHS and social care professionals, their partners and service users, and address three dimensions of quality: clinical effectiveness, patient safety and patient experience.

NICE quality standards are central to supporting the Government's vision for an NHS focussed on delivering the best possible outcomes for patients, as detailed in the 2010 NHS White Paper Equity and Excellence - Liberating the NHS.

Quality standards will be reflected in the new Commissioning Outcomes Framework and will inform payment mechanisms and incentive schemes such as the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) Payment Framework.

NICE quality standards enable:

• Health and social care professionals to make decisions about care based on the latest evidence and best practice.
• Patients and carers to understand what service they should expect from their health and social care provider.
• Service providers to quickly and easily examine the clinical performance of their organisation and assess the standards of care they provide
• Commissioners to be confident that the services they are purchasing are high quality and cost effective

More information about NICE quality standards

Published quality standards

• Alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use
• Breast cancer
• Chronic heart failure
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Dementia
• Depression in adults
• Diabetes in adults
• End of life care for adults
• Glaucoma
• Service user experience in adult mental health
• Specialist neonatal care
• Stroke
• VTE prevention

Quality standards in development

More NICE quality standards are in development and will be published during 2011/12. Please note that the forthcoming Health and Social Care Bill, in addition to other government direction and legislation, may impact upon NICE quality standards. Please continue to refer to the website to keep up to date with the latest developments.

Consultation on proposed changes to quality standards process guide

The proposed update to the healthcare quality standards process guide is now available for consultation. The consultation period will end at 5pm on Tuesday 13 March 2012.

Consultation documents

• Healthcare quality standards process guide
• Comments proforma

Please note that the 'How members are appointed' section has been updated to reflect a proposed alternative recruitment approach to that currently being used.

Topic Expert Group (TEG) members are currently recruited by one of the following two methods:

• Direct approaches to individuals who have previously been involved in the Guideline Development Group (GDG) who developed the NICE clinical guideline upon which the quality standard will be based with open adverts via the NICE website to fill any gaps on the group.
• Open advert via the NICE website.

The proposed new approach to TEG recruitment is included in the process guide available for consultation.

Please note that the process guide is provisional and may change after consultation with stakeholders.

Background documents

• Developing NICE quality standards: interim process guide - this document is not for consultation and is provided as background information.

How to submit your comments

Please provide all responses to the proposed update to the healthcare quality standards process guide using the comments proforma (ensuring all relevant fields are completed, including your organisation's full name) and forward this electronically by 5pm on Tuesday 13 March 2012 at the very latest to this email address: QSconsultations@nice.org.uk.

We have two questions about the healthcare quality standards process guide we are keen to receive feedback on:

1. We currently consult on draft quality standards for a period of 4 weeks. Is this sufficient?

2. Quality standards are intended to be a set of concise, succinct and specific statements that describe the key infrastructural and clinical requirements for high-quality care. Each quality standard currently contains up to a maximum of 15 quality statements. Is this too many quality statements per topic?

The Institute is unable to accept

• Comments from non-registered organisations - if you wish your comments to be considered please register via the NICE website
• Comments from individuals - please contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them.
• Comments received after the consultation deadline (5pm)
• Comments that are not on the correct proforma
• More than one response per stakeholder organisation
• Confidential information or other material that you would not wish to be made public
• Personal medical information about yourself or another person from which your or the person's identity could be ascertained

What will happen to your comments

The Quality Standards Programme Team will review all eligible comments received at the end of the consultation. The process guide will be revised following consideration of all eligible comments.

NICE reserves the right to summarise and edit comments received during consultations, or not to publish them at all, where in the reasonable opinion of the Institute, the comments are voluminous, publication would be unlawful or publication would be otherwise inappropriate.

Acknowledgement of comments

You should receive an automated acknowledgement from the email box when you email your comments. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, please contact the quality standards coordinator to ensure your comments have been safely received by emailing: lucy.spiller@nice.org.uk.

Comments received in the course of consultations carried out by the Institute are published in the interests of openness and transparency. The comments are published as a record of the submissions that the Institute has received, and are not endorsed by the Institute, its officers or advisory committees.