The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has today (14 February 2013) accredited The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) for its processes to produce BSACI guidelines and the College of Occupational Therapists (COT) for its processes to produce Practice Guidelines.

Professor David Haslam, Chair of the NICE Accreditation Advisory Committee said: "I am delighted to congratulate the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the College of Occupational Therapists on their accreditations.

"They join the growing number of organisations who proudly display the Accreditation Mark - the 'seal of approval' that assures health and social care professionals that they are accessing some of the best information available to make informed decisions about patient care.

"As the only programme of its kind in the world, the NICE Accreditation Programme gives guidance producers the chance to test their processes, see what they do well and see where they can improve. This desire for continuous improvement from guidance producers can only benefit the health and care professionals who use their guidelines."

The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI)

BSACI is the national, professional and academic society which brings together professionals involved in the practice of clinical allergy at all levels. Its aim is to improve the management of allergies and related diseases of the immune system in the United Kingdom, through education, training and research.

BSACI set up the Standards of Care Committee in 2004 to develop clinical guidelines for use in secondary care by both adult physicians and paediatricians treating patients with allergic problems in the United Kingdom. BSACI clinical guidelines result from a systematic process that considers the risks and benefits of recommendations.

The NICE Accreditation Advisory Committee considered that the processes used by BSACI to produce guidelines met 20 of the 25 criteria for accreditation.

Anthony Frew, President, BSACI, said: "BSACI guidelines are based on the best available evidence. However, it is recognised that evidence in some areas of allergy may be sparse or of poor quality. It is therefore all the more important that robust methodology is used to develop this guidance. BSACI is delighted that our guidelines are now accredited and will now be used by commissioners to set standards for allergy services."

College of Occupational Therapists (COT)

The College of Occupational Therapistsis the professional body for Occupational Therapists and support staff in the UK. It promotes the value of Occupational Therapy for the benefit of the health and wellbeing of the UK population. The College strives for excellence in occupational therapy education, professional development, research and evidence based practice.

The College of Occupational Therapists produces Practice Guidelines as part of a wide range of professional resources to inform occupational therapy practice and support professional development. Practice Guidelines are systematically developed, evidence-based guidelines which assist occupational therapy staff and service users in making decisions about appropriate interventions for a specific condition or population.

The Accreditation Advisory Committee considered that the processes used by the College to produce Practice Guidelines demonstrated compliance with all 25 criteria for accreditation. The committee commended the College on developing a process for its Practice Guidelines that were based on the requirements for accreditation, and for engaging with the Accreditation Team to seek advice.

Julia Scott, Chief Executive, College of Occupational Therapists said: "We are absolutely delighted to receive NICE accreditation in recognition of our commitment to produce Practice Guidelines to the highest and most rigorous standard. NICE accreditation is a signal to all of the benchmark we have set for occupational therapy practice guidelines, providing occupational therapists, health and social care professionals and commissioners with the best evidence-based guidance to improve health and social care outcomes. Importantly this will also raise the profile of Occupational Therapy, helping people to receive the interventions and support they need to lead independent and active lives."

Quality standards

Where appropriate the accredited guidelines from these organisations can now be considered as part of the development of NICE quality standards.

NICE quality standards are derived from NICE guidance and other guidance accredited by the NICE Accreditation Programme and are central to supporting the Government's vision for an NHS focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for patients, as detailed in the 2010 NHS White Paper Equity and Excellence - Liberating the NHS.

ENDS

About NICE

1. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance and standards on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.

2. NICE produces guidance in three areas of health:

• public health - guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention of ill health for those working in the NHS, local authorities and the wider public and voluntary sector
• health technologies - guidance on the use of new and existing medicines, treatments, medical technologies (including devices and diagnostics) and procedures within the NHS
• clinical practice - guidance on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS.

3. NICE produces standards for patient care:

• quality standards -these reflect the very best in high quality patient care, to help healthcare practitioners and commissioners of care deliver excellent services
• Quality and Outcomes Framework - NICE develops the clinical and health improvement indicators in the QOF, the Department of Health scheme which rewards GPs for how well they care for patients
• Commissioning Outcomes Framework - NICE develops the potential indicators for the COF, the scheme starting in 2013, which will help measure the health outcomes and quality of care commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups.

4. NICE provides advice and support on putting NICE guidance and standards into practice through its implementation programme, and it collates and accredits high quality health guidance, research and information to help health professionals deliver the best patient care through NHS Evidence.

Notes to Editors

1. The final accreditation reports are available on the NICE website.

2. NICE's Accreditation Programme verifies the most robustly-produced guidance available to health and social care professionals, enabling them to drive quality outcomes that are among the best in the world. It uses rigorous assessment processes based on international standards for guideline development produced by the Appraisal of Guidelines Research & Evaluation collaboration (AGREE).

3. The Accreditation Mark is a registered trademark of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. It appears next to titles within search results on the NHS Evidence portal to denote those information sources that have passed the criteria for producing high-quality information.

4. Provided it is relevant to a search, information from accredited sources features on NHS Evidence in the top results, with the Accreditation Mark clearly displayed.

5. An accredited organisation can display the Accreditation Mark publicly as a sign of its high standard achieved in developing information.

6. Accreditation lasts for 5 years.