Benefits of implementation

Implementing NICE guidelines offers benefits to patients and carers, healthcare professionals and organisations.

NICE guidance can help patients and carers:

• Receive care in line with the best available evidence of clinical and cost-effectiveness
• Empower patients to be accountable for their care, knowing how they will be cared for in a consistent evidence-based approach, thus building patients confidence in NHS services
• Improve their own health and prevent disease.
• Help put NICE guidance into practice.

NICE guidance can help healthcare professionals:

• Ensure care provided is based on the best evidence available
• Ensure clinicians meet the standards set by regulatory bodies and that they consider NICE guidance when exercising their clinical judgement
• Enable all staff dealing with patient queries to have confidence in the approaches to care
• Effectively target resources and efforts at the areas that offer the most significant health improvement.

NICE guidance can help organisations:

• Meet the Standards for better health (English version; Welsh version)
• • Core standards – technology appraisals and IP
  • Developmental standards – nationally agreed guidance
• Enable organisations to meet the requirements in the government’s standards-based planning framework National standards, local action, health and social care standards and planning framework, 2005-2008.
• Benefit from any identified disinvestment opportunities, cost savings or opportunities for re-directing resources
• Meet government indicators and targets for health improvement and reducing health inequalities.
• Help local government fulfil its remit to promote the economic and social well-being of its communities.
• Provide a focus for multi-sector partnership working on health.