NICE quality standards: process guide

8.1 Attending meetings

QSAC meetings are open to members of the public and press. This supports NICE's commitment to openness and transparency and enables stakeholders and the public to better understand how NICE quality standards are developed and consultation comments taken into account. Anyone who wishes to attend can register via the meetings in public page on the NICE website.

If an item on the agenda includes commercial- or academic-in-confidence information, or as yet unpublished NICE guidance it is discussed at a separate session of the meeting, from which the public is excluded. The decision to hold a separate session is made by the QSAC chair and the responsible NICE associate director.

If the development phase uses a guideline committee or a working group, the public will be excluded.

8.2 Published papers

To ensure that the process is as transparent as possible, NICE considers it desirable that all information relevant to the development of NICE quality standards is publicly available. The following supporting documents are therefore published on the NICE website:

NICE quality standards are published on the NICE website (see published NICE quality standards) and are also available from other supporting organisations, such as professional and patient or service user organisations.

8.3 Freedom of Information Act 2000

Nothing in this document will restrict any disclosure of information by NICE that is required by law (including, in particular but without limitation, the Freedom of Information Act 2000).