NICE Guidelines

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is the UK's excellence-in-practice organisation. It is responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.

NICE guidance is developed using the expertise of the NHS and the wider healthcare community including NHS staff, healthcare professionals, patients and carers, industry and the academic world.

At present, NICE produces three kinds of guidance:

1. Technology appraisals - guidance on the use of new and existing medicines and treatments within the NHS in England and Wales.
2. Clinical guidelines - guidance on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS in England and Wales.
3. Interventional procedures - guidance on whether interventional procedures used for diagnosis or treatment are safe enough and work well enough for routine use in England, Wales and Scotland.

NICE Guidelines can be accessed through its website at www.nice.org.uk