NICE process and methods

2 Who is involved in developing NICE indicators?

2 Who is involved in developing NICE indicators?

2.1 The NICE indicator advisory committee

2.1.1 Membership of the committee

The NICE indicator advisory committee comprises members with a range of expertise who are independent of NICE. They include GPs, commissioners, primary and secondary care health professionals, lay members, researchers, social care practitioners, public health specialists and quality improvement experts.

For a list of indicator advisory committee members and terms of reference see the indicator advisory committee on the NICE website.

Additional topic experts and co-opted members may be invited to attend the committee to advise members on a topic by topic basis to assist in discussions.

2.1.2 How indicator advisory committee members are appointed

The indicator advisory committee chair and members are recruited through open public advertisement. They are appointed in line with the NICE policy on appointments to advisory bodies.

2.1.3 The role of the indicator advisory committee

The role of the indicator advisory committee includes:

  • reviewing results of testing or piloting, consultation, equality impact and any cost-effectiveness analysis

  • recommending indicators for publication on the NICE menu

  • reviewing existing indicators.

For the full details of the role of the indicator advisory committee see the termsof reference for the NICE indicator advisory committees.

2.2 Work undertaken in NICE

2.2.1 NICE indicator team

The NICE indicator team is responsible for:

  • managing the prioritisation process for the development of new indicators

  • preparing briefings for the indicator advisory committee on prioritised areas for indicator development

  • facilitating the drafting of potential indicators

  • analysing and presenting the results of public consultation

  • providing or sourcing cost-effectiveness reports if appropriate

  • commissioning and quality-assuring the results of indicator testing

  • preparing committee minutes for publication

  • producing the guidance to be published alongside new indicators

  • ensuring NICE's published process and methods for developing indicators are followed in line with agreed timelines and standards of quality.

The NICE indicator team is committed to improving practice and methods by regularly reviewing and evaluating its processes and methods.

2.2.2 Resource impact assessment

NICE assess the resource impact of the changes needed to improve against indicators at a national level using costing reports produced for underpinning guidance. NICE identify the potential costs and savings and highlight indicators that may be particularly useful for commissioners. The resource impact work may also explore the impact on individual sectors of the health and care system.

2.3 Other organisations

NICE works closely with many professional, NHS and public sector organisations, including those representing patients, service users and carers. Key partners of the indicator programme include NHS England, Public Health England, the Department of Health and Social Care, the National Collaborating Centre for Indicator Development (NCCID), NHS Digital and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales.

  • NHS England, Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care can establish priority areas for indicator development.

  • The devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland can help to establish priority areas for indicator development.

  • The NCCID is contracted by NICE to support specific aspects of the indicator development process, such as:

    • scoping indicators during early stages of development

    • drafting indicator wording

    • assessing potential data sources

    • testing potential indicators.

  • NHS Digital works with NICE to help develop and test potential new indicators, develop technical specifications and business rules.

  • In England the content of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is determined through negotiations between NHS England and the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association (BMA). NICE indicators are considered for inclusion in the QOF during these negotiations. Separate but similar negotiations take place in the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland and Wales.