2002/061 First meeting of NICE Citizens Council will discuss clinical need

NICE 2002/ 061
Issued: 19 November 2002

Press Release

First meeting of NICE Citizens Council will discuss clinical need

The first meeting of the NICE Citizens Council will take place from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 November in Salford near Manchester, to consider the question: 'What should NICE take into account when making decisions about clinical need?' The Citizens Council is an innovation to reflect public opinion in the guidance that NICE publishes about the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments and care for the NHS.

When discussing the issue of clinical need, the Citizens Council will consider:

• What are the most important features of diseases or conditions that should be considered when determining clinical need - for example, effect of the disease/condition on life expectancy and/or quality of life?
• Are there additional factors relating to individual patients that should be considered, such as family responsibilities and individual choice?
• What weight does the Council think NICE should give to the views of groups representing patients and carers, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders when considering issues of clinical need?"

During the three-day meeting expert witnesses will give evidence on clinical need, and Council members will be able to ask them questions. At the end of the meeting the Council will submit a report to NICE that will be used to inform the Institute's work, and the work of the independent groups and experts who develop NICE guidelines and appraisals for the NHS.

Expert witnesses who will give evidence on clinical need over the next three days include:

• Professor Bill Fulford, Department of Philosophy University of Warwick
• Nigel Hughes, Chief Executive, British Liver Trust
• Dr Ruth McDonald, Research Fellow at Manchester University's Department of applied Social Science
• Gavin McGregor, North of England Manager of Carers UK
• Jackie Pollock, Charlestown/Lower Kersal New Deal for Communities Team
• Dr Hugh Reeve, Medical Director, Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust
• Chris Spry CBE, Visiting Professor , Glasgow University and Director of OD Partnerships, a network of NHS organisations
• Stephanie Suliaman, Registered Nurse and Midwife, Balham Health Centre
• Dr Richard Tiner, Medical Director, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)
• Tom Dent, NICE Interventional Procedures Programme Director
• Gillian Leng, NICE Clinical Guideline Programme Director
• Carole Longson, NICE Appraisal Programme Director

Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, Chairman of NICE said "We know that although the guidance NICE issues about the treatment and care that should be used within the NHS is based on evidence, there are key values and judgments on which are decisions are made. We have established the Citizens Council so that representatives of the public from all parts of the community can give their views and opinions and provide a backdrop against which we, and the independent Committees that advise us, can produce our guidance.

"The Institute, in its Directions and Framework document is required to take six matters into account when undertaking appraisals of health technology. The first, and arguably the most important, is 'the degree of clinical need of patients with the condition or disease under consideration'. We already have the best technical experts we can find to give us advice, and we make sure that NHS professionals and patients have their say in our work. The Citizens Council will add the voice of the public to the debate on what NICE should take into account when making decisions about clinical need."

The announcement by National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in August that it was seeking to recruit members of the public to sit on the Council resulted in around 4,400 applications. Vision 21, an independent organisation brought in to manage the recruitment process and run the Citizens Council meetings, selected 15 men and 15 women that met all the selection criteria. Drawn from all walks of life that reflect the make up of the population in England and Wales, their ages range from 18 to 76. The names of the thirty men and women who will make up the UK's first Citizens Council were announced on Friday 8th November, 2002.

Ends

Notes for editors

1. About NICE

• NICE is part of the NHS. It is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on treatments and care for those using the NHS in England and Wales. Its guidance is for healthcare professionals and patients and their carers to help them make decisions about treatment and healthcare. For further information about NICE you can visit.
• NICE produces guidance in three areas of health:
  • the use of new and existing medicines and treatments within the NHS in England and Wales - technology appraisals
  • the appropriate treatment and care of patients with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS in England and Wales - clinical guidelines.
  • the safety and usefulness of an interventional procedure, for example a new type of surgery -interventional procedures.
• NICE also funds four enquiries that undertake research into the way patients are treated to identify ways of improving the quality of care (the investigations are known as confidential enquiries).
• NICE guidance and recommendations are prepared by independent groups that include professionals working in the NHS and people who are familiar with the issues affecting patients and carers.

2. The Citizens Council and its work.

• The Citizens Council will help NICE find out what members of the public think about key issues informing the development of the guidance NICE issues on the treatments and care that people can expect in the NHS.
• A full list of councillors' names, together with a statistical breakdown of the council's membership and a group photograph can be found on the NICE website at http://www.nice.org.uk/cat.asp?c=38969. An electronic version of the photograph is also available from Geoffrey Bowden (020 7439 7700) or Louise Fish (020 7766 9143).
• As a sub-committee of the NICE Board, the Council will consider key value questions and make a report to NICE. NICE will use this report to inform its work, and the work of the independent groups and experts who develop NICE guidelines and appraisals for the NHS.
• The Council will meet twice a year and each meeting will last up to 3 days. Councillors will be paid £150 per day when on Council business, and their travelling and accommodation expenses will be taken care of. Where special facilities need to be provided, such as a crèche or a signer, NICE will pay. Council appointments will be for up to 3 years only. Some people will serve for a year, some for 2 years and some for 3 years.
• An independent organisation, Vision 21, will run the meetings and produce reports summarising the Council 's views which will be sent to NICE. Expert witnesses will give evidence on the issues under consideration and Council members will be able to ask them questions. There are likely to be sessions where Council members are asked to form smaller groups and consider particular topics - with the support of Vision 21 staff.
• The Open University and College of Health have been appointed to independently evaluate the work of the Citizens Council for the first two years following its inauguration. Their research will provide information for NICE on how to maximise value from the Citizens Council.

3. Council and the media

• The council attended an introductory meeting in November 2002. This was an opportunity for them to meet each other and discuss how they would like to work. They are keen to reinforce that they are working as a group and not as individuals and have therefore nominated a small number of their members to act as spokespeople who will be available to speak to the media when the Council sits.
• Between meetings of the Council all media requests should be directed to Geoffrey Bowden at Nexus Structured Communications on 020 7439 7700.