The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was created to promote high clinical standards and equitable provision of clinical care in the National Health Service (NHS).
This report highlights the financial management challenges that NHS bodies face when implementing NICE guidance. This is primarily achieved by issuing guidance to the NHS in the form of technology appraisals (for example, assessments of new drugs such as etanercept for rheumatoid arthritis) and clinical guidelines (for example, treatment and management of chronic heart failure), both of which are based on clinical and cost-effectiveness criteria. Once implemented by healthcare providers, this guidance plays a crucial role in the delivery of high-quality and equitable patient care.
This report provides:
- an overview of NICE guidance
- implementing NICE guidance
- strengthening financial management to support NICE guidance implementation
- conclusions
- appendices:
- methodology
- how NICE should fit into funding decisions made by PCTs
- business case pro forma
- costing template example
The introduction of payment by results (PbR), the new system of funding services, impacts on the funding of NICE guidance. A national tariff structure has been established, which will eventually cover most acute sector activity.