Guidance
We use the best available evidence to develop recommendations that guide decisions in health, public health and social care.
NICE advice
Critical assessment of evidence to help you make decisions. Advice, rather than formal NICE guidance.
Published advice on this topic (16)
- New advice in the last 6 months (0)
- Updated advice in the last 6 months (0)
- In development advice (0)
Quality standards
Set out priority areas for quality improvement in health and social care.
Published quality standards on this topic (3)
- New quality standards in the last 6 months (1)
- Updated quality standards in the last 6 months (0)
- In development quality standards (1)
Guidance by programme
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NICE guidelines (33)
Review the evidence across broad health and social care topics.
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Diagnostics guidance (1)
Review new diagnostic technologies for adoption in the NHS.
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Health technology evaluation (4)
Review evidence to support adoption of health technologies in the NHS.
Advice by programme
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Evidence summaries (9)
Review the best available evidence for selected medicines.
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Medtech innovation briefings (7)
Review the evidence and likely costs of medical devices and technologies.
Products being developed or updated
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In development (4)
Guidance, quality standards and advice being developed.
Managing common infections summary
We've worked with Public Health England (PHE) to bring together our information on managing infections. New NICE guidance will be added as it's published. We'll also show where new guidance is in development.
Each organisation uses different processes to develop their guidance:
- the interim process guide outlines the process used to develop NICE guidelines
- PHE's process is briefly outlined in their context, references and rationales document with further information available on request.
This is the first time both sets of national guidance have been brought together. Please email us at infections@nice.org.uk if you have any feedback, This could help us improve future versions.
View the summary
From 01 June 2023, the summary will be temporarily hosted on the Antibiotic and diagnostic quick reference tools page of the Royal College of General Practitioners eLearning website.
Get involved
Join a committee
Our committees and working groups help to develop our guidance, standards, advice and other resources.
Why is our guidance and advice needed?
The World Health Organization says 'antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change in ways that render the medications used to cure the infections they cause ineffective'.
Resistance to antimicrobials is complex and increasing. There is a growing risk that infections may not be treatable in the future, combined with a lack of new antimicrobial medicines.
The Department of Health and Social Care asked us to develop guidelines to help slow antimicrobial resistance. These guidelines are evidence-based and clinical syndrome specific.
When we as health professionals are discussing treatments for common infections with patients, it is important to talk about the benefits and harms of prescribing antibiotics. This includes the risks of antimicrobial resistance and the threat this poses to public health.Tessa Lewis, GP and Chair of the managing common infections advisory committee
News on this topic
NICE reaches important milestone in the UK’s efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Two new antimicrobial drugs - cefiderocol and ceftazidime–avibactam - are close to becoming the first to be made available as part of the UK’s innovative subscription-style payment model after NICE today (Tuesday, 12 April 2022) published draft guidance estimating their value to the NHS.
NICE updates managing COVID guideline with new monoclonal antibody recommendations
NICE has updated its managing COVID-19 guideline to include new recommendations on using monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 patients in hospital.
NICE updates recommendations for two COVID-19 therapeutics
NICE has updated its advice on two therapeutics for managing COVID-19 – remdesivir and colchicine.
Putting guidance into practice
Shared learning
Examples of how our guidance and standards have been put into practice in the NHS, local authorities, voluntary sector and a range of other organisations.
Showing 3 of 15 shared learning examples for this topic:
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Impact of multi-disciplinary involvement to improve smoking cessation in the acute admissions unit (AMU)
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Managing COVID symptoms (including at the end of life) in a prison setting
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Supporting and developing community end of life care during the COVID-19 pandemic: an example of collaborative working