In his keynote speech at the NICE annual conference 2013, Lord Howe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality at the Department of Health, announced that NICE, working with experts from Public Health England, will develop new quality standards as part of a public health quality standard programme. The newly referred topics are: reducing tobacco use in the community; preventing harmful alcohol use; and strategies to prevent obesity in adults and children.

These new topics complement other public health topics with a healthcare focus, which have already referred to NICE by ministers: smoking cessation: supporting people to stop smoking; alcohol: preventing and managing alcohol misuse; and physical activity: encouraging activity in all people in contact with the NHS [i]. The first public health quality standard on smoking cessation is expected to publish in August 2013.

NICE quality standards describe high-priority areas for quality improvement in a defined care or service area. They are derived either from NICE guidance or NICE accredited sources, and apply right across the NHS, social care and public health in England.

Quality standards consist of a prioritised set of specific, concise and measurable statements that, when delivered collectively, should contribute to improving the effectiveness, quality, safety and experience of care for people. NICE already develops public health guidance, but this new programme of work will build on existing guidance and highlight key areas for quality improvement.

Professor Gillian Leng, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Health and Social Care at NICE said: “We are very pleased to have been asked to produce public health quality standards. They will be a valuable tool for local authorities as they take on their new public health functions, and for Public Health England. By bridging the interface across health, social care and public health, NICE public health quality standards will help support integration across the three sectors. They will also ensure that those responsible for commissioning services will have access to the complete picture of what an effective service across the whole pathway should look like.”

Lord Howe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality at the Department of Health, said: “NICE quality standards are at the centre of the government's plans to drive quality improvement. The expansion of NICE quality standards to public health complements the work that NICE is already doing on quality standards for the NHS and social care. They will be an important tool for local authorities and Public Health England and will help to support integration across health, social care and public health.”

Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England, said: “We welcome the launch of this new programme at NICE and the referral of these quality standards, which cover three vitally important areas of public health. I am sure they will be a hugely valuable aid to colleagues in local authorities.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

References

i. Development on the public health quality standards on physical activity and preventing and managing alcohol misuse is due to start this year.

About the NICE public health quality standards

1. The smoking cessation quality standard is now in development and is expected to publish in August 2013.

2. The NICE quality standards forward planner includes further details of forthcoming public health topics.

About NICE quality standards

1. NICE quality standards aim to help commissioners, health, social care and public health professionals and service providers improve the quality of care that they deliver.

2. NICE quality standards help demonstrate delivery of high quality care in a particular high-priority improvement area through measurable statements. There is an average of 6-8 statements in each quality standard.

1. Quality standards are derived from evidence-based guidance, such as NICE guidance or NICE accredited sources, and are produced collaboratively with the NHS, social care or public health organisations, along with their partner organisations, patients, carers and service users.
2. NICE quality standards are not mandatory but they can be used for a wide range of purposes both locally and nationally. For example, patients and service users can use quality standards to help understand what high-quality care should include. Health, social care and public health professionals can use quality standards to help deliver excellent care and treatment.

5. NICE quality standards are not requirements or targets, but the healthcare system is obliged to have regard to them in planning and delivering services, as part of a general duty to secure continuous improvement in quality.

6. Quality standard topics are formally referred to NICE by NHS England, (an executive non-departmental public body, established in October 2012) for health-related areas, and by the Department of Health and Department for Education for non-health areas such as social care. Further information on NHS England.

7. More information on NICE quality standards.

About Public Health England

1. Public Health England is an executive agency of the Department of Health. It launched on 1 April 2013, and works with national and local government, industry and the NHS to protect and improve the nation's health and support healthier choices.

More information on Public Health England.

About NICE

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for driving improvement and excellence in the health and social care system. We develop guidance, standards and information on high-quality health and social care. We also advise on ways to promote healthy living and prevent ill health.

Formerly the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, our name changed on 1 April 2013 to reflect our new and additional responsibility to develop guidance and set quality standards for social care, as outlined in the Health and Social Care Act (2012).

Our aim is to help practitioners deliver the best possible care and give people the most effective treatments, which are based on the most up-to-date evidence and provide value for money, in order to reduce inequalities and variation.

Our products and resources are produced for the NHS, local authorities, care providers, charities, and anyone who has a responsibility for commissioning or providing healthcare, public health or social care services.