NICE (The National Institute for Clinical Excellence)

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was formed on 1 April 2005, when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence took on the functions of the Health Development Agency to create a single excellence-in-practice organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.

Operating Model for Centre for Public Health Excellence

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will produce guidance in three areas of health.

• Public health – guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention of ill health for those working in the NHS, local authorities and the wider public and voluntary sector.
• Health technologies – guidance on the use of new and existing medicines, treatments and procedures within the NHS.
• Clinical practice – guidance on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS.

Guidance will be produced by three ‘centres’ within NICE: the Centre for Public Health Excellence, the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, and the Centre for Clinical Practice.

Where current practice varies from NICE guidance, this variance should be addressed rather than the guidance being altered to suit local circumstances.

Implementing NICE Guidance - A Practical Handbook for Professionals, National Prescribing Centre 2001