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II n the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2006,1 published last month, Sir Liam Donaldson highlighted the progress made in key areas that were identified in his previous annual report as requiring action.

The main focus of last year’s report was the variation in delivery of specific health interventions across the NHS, and Sir Liam underlined the importance of ensuring that effective evidence-based treatment is delivered equitably. Since that report was published, there have been a number of developments:

• a clinical effectiveness group has been established, comprising national clinical directors as well as representatives from organisations including NICE and the Department of Health—preliminary findings and recommendations will be published during 2007
• NICE is assisting the NHS in reducing spending on ineffective treatments through the launch of its electronic commissioning guides, which allow users to calculate the associated costs and savings involved in the service changes
• the Clinical Advisory Panel has been established, which will look into the varying tariff payments in the NHS.

Although pleased with this progress, Sir Liam acknowledges that inappropriate variation in clinical care standards have existed for a long time, and sustained clinically led actions are required to address this problem.

I was pleased to learn that Guidelines in Practice is supporting Sir Liam’s aims through the promotion of effective management and treatment of patients—results from our 2007 readership survey show that many of you use the journal to keep up to date with evidence-based medicine. Thank you to those readers who completed the survey, the results of which will be summarised in next month’s issue.

Julia Morris, Editor
julia.morris@mgp.ltd.uk

1. Department of Health. On the state of public health: annual report of the Chief Medical Officer 2006. London: DH, 2007.G