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Last month saw the publication of the final report by Lord Darzi following his review of the NHS. The reforms set out in the report—High quality care for all—aim to ensure that the NHS is truly evidence-based and quality driven. Not surprisingly a central role in these reforms will be played by NICE and the related recommendations are summarised below:

• patients will be guaranteed access to all NICE-approved drugs and treatments
• the NICE technology appraisal process is to be speeded up—NICE and the Department of Health (DH) will work together to ensure that the time taken from topic selection to publication of final guidance is reduced
• a new web-based service ‘NHS Evidence’ is to be managed by NICE—this new portal will be available to all healthcare professionals and will provide authoritative clinical and non-clinical evidence of best practice
• NICE will work alongside the DH, and professional and patient groups, to review the quality and outcomes framework (QOF) indicators—this new strategy will include an independent and transparent process for review and development of the indicators
• from 2009, NICE will have responsibility for clinical priority-setting and independent quality standards—a new National Quality Board will provide ministers with transparent advice on the clinical standards that NICE should prioritise
• a new fellowship programme is to be established by NICE to provide opportunity for further clinical professional development.

Over the next couple of months, NICE will be working with the DH and other partners to determine how to deliver these recommendations.

Key to the success of Lord Darzi’s vision of high-quality care for all is the ability of healthcare professionals and organisations to keep up to date with evidence-based medicine. The availability of quality information, such as guidelines produced by NICE and SIGN, does not guarantee improvements in patient care; this will only happen if it is understood and implemented. To help GPs to achieve this, MGP Ltd (publisher of Guidelines and Guidelines in Practice) has developed Guidelines Briefings, half-day interactive meetings that will cover a wide range of disease areas. Further information, including registration details, can be found at www.eguidelines.co.uk/briefings/G

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