The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has accredited the process used by the Government of Western Australia Department of Health for the production of Diagnostic Imaging Pathways (DIP).

The Government of Western Australia Department of Health commissions the DIP team based at Royal Perth Hospital to produce and maintain DIP as an online education and decision support resource for referring clinicians and imaging specialists. The pathways in DIP are digital algorithms that guide a referring clinician or imaging specialist to choose the most appropriate diagnostic examinations in the correct sequence for a wide range of clinical cases. They aim to stop unnecessary referrals or failure to refer a patient for imaging when required.

The NICE Accreditation Advisory Committee agreed that “the processes used to produce Diagnostic Imaging Pathways result in a clear, concise product suitable for use by clinicians and imaging specialists when deciding on the most appropriate choice of imaging for patients. They are based on a systematic evidence search and assessment that carefully considers the risks and benefits of imaging.”

Professor David Haslam, Chair of the NICE Accreditation Advisory Committee said: “I would like to congratulate the Government of Western Australia Department of Health on receiving accreditation. It is extremely pleasing that organisations in other countries recognise the value of the NICE Accreditation Programme and are keen to participate. As the only programme of its kind in the world, it 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. Therefore, I would encourage all UK and international guidance producers to join the NICE Accreditation Programme.”

Dr Phillip Bairstow Manager, Diagnostic Imaging Pathways, Royal Perth Hospital said: “We are delighted to receive this accreditation from NICE. NICE is an internationally recognised and respected organisation and we are proud to be involved with a programme that works to continually raise the quality of world-wide guidance production.

“Our application for NICE accreditation resulted in us improving the way we document our processes and also improving our processes in a number of areas. The standards for achieving NICE accreditation are high. We believe confirmation that DIP meets these standards is a clear indication to users that the guidance is trustworthy.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. More information can be found in the final accreditation report.

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 five years.

About NICE

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

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.

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

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.