NICE Consultation Gateway - Getting involved
Reasons for involvement
By participating you are helping ensure that the RCN is the leading Voice of Nursing. You will help improve practice, influence health policies and develop your career. Your contribution will help ensure that the guidance includes the nursing perspective.
What you get in return
You will receive a formal letter and certificate from the RCN in recognition of your involvement together with a complimentary copy of a Quick Reference Guidance of the published guidance.
If you incur expenses through your involvement you will be reimbursed, for example, travelling expenses (if you attend any meeting relating to the NICE work programme).
You will have the opportunity to interact/network with other professionals involved in the work programme. You could be sponsored to attend the NICE annual conference.
RCN Members who have been involved in the NICE work programme consider it 'a rewarding and informative experience'.
How you can take part
The RCN is a consultee/stakeholder for the NICE health technology appraisal; public health guidance, interventional procedures and national clinical guidelines work programmes. As part of this process the RCN is invited to participate in the development and review of draft guidance for implementation in the NHS.
You can also apply for a NICE Fellowship or scholarship. This programme helps health care professionals, including nursing staff, gain valuable experience working with NICE. Places onto the programme are advertised annually.
Please email Caroline Rapu (caroline.rapu@rcn.org.uk), RCN Project Manager, if you would like to participate in any of the work programmes.
Roles
The RCN relies on members who have relevant expertise and are specialists in the topics under review to contribute to the NICE work programme. RCN Members can participate by reviewing draft consultation documents or by applying to become members of the guideline development groups.
Reviewing draft documentation would normally involve:
- Submitting comments on drafts to the project manager at the RCN
- Submitting evidence (where available)
- Being nominated as a specialist adviser to submit a personal perspective of the technology being reviewed
You will need to apply to NICE and the National Collaborating Centre managing the guideline if want to be part of a guideline development group. NICE has established several national collaborating centres (NCCs) to help develop clinical guidelines.
If you are selected as a group member you will be:
- Actively involved in the development of the guideline
- Required to attend monthly meetings
- Asked to review evidence and draft guidelines
It takes about eighteen months to develop a clinical guideline. NICE reimburses travel expenses and subsistence incurred for attending the group meetings.
Expectations and commitments
Members who volunteer to review the draft documents on behalf of the RCN will be sent the consultation documents when they are published. They then submit their comments to the RCN according to set guidelines. These comments will be used to formulate a response on behalf of the RCN. Communication is mostly via e-mail so access to electronic systems is essential.
Members who are involved in the consultation process can also recommend other colleagues who are experienced and specialists in the topics under consideration to participate on behalf of the RCN.
It is expected that participants will send comments that:
- Are accurate, timely and of high quality
- Reflect current issues in daily nursing practice and identifies potential improvements for nursing and for patient care
- Are couched in neutral/professional language
- Are relevant (and restricted) to the current consultation stage
You can read some stories from nurses who have been involved.