Appraisal is the process of determining which records have continuing business or historical value from those which have no further value and should be disposed of appropriately.
The appraisal method adopted by us is based on functional analysis. This approach allows records to be selected for retention or disposal based on the functions that generated the records, rather than the content of the individual record itself.
Background to NICE
NICE is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in England.
We were created on 1st April 1999 as a public records body.
On 1 April 2013, due to NHS reforms brought about by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 we became a non-departmental public body.
Predecessor bodies (prior to our formation in 1999)
- Health Education Council (HEC).
- Health Development Agency (HDA).
- Health Education Authority (HEA).
Iterations of NICE April 1999 - April 2013
- The National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
- The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
April 2013
- We changed our status from a special health authority to a non-departmental public body and became the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Prior to April 2013, we were a body subject to the Public Records Act 1958, therefore we must arrange for selected records created prior to this time to be permanently preserved, under the advice and guidance of the Keeper of Public Records.
This document sets out our high level methodology for the selection of records, in line with The National Archives’ Records Collection Policy, and acts as a statement on our approach to records selection. It applies to all records created or inherited by us from 1999 - 2013, of any format.
Summary of NICE
Our public task is set out in:
- The Health and Social Care Act 2012.
- The National Institute for Health and Social Care Excellence (Constitution and Functions).
- The Health and Social Care Information Centre (Functions) Regulations 2013.
The functions we fulfil are:
- The provision of quality standards in relation to the provision of NHS services, public health and social care in England.
- The provision of advice, guidance, providing information and making recommendations about any matter concerning or connecting with the provision of NHS services, public health services and social care services in England.
We balance the best care with value for money across the NHS and social care, to deliver for both individuals and society.
Categories of records produced by NICE
The National Archives Records Collections Policy sets out criteria for the public records which it seeks to collect and preserve. The most relevant to our work and its predecessors are:
- The structures and decision-making processes in government.
- The state’s interaction with the lives of its citizens.
In line with our functions, records of historical interest to be considered for selection relate to:
Corporate governance: The function by which we are directed and controlled in order to achieve our objectives and meet the necessary standards of accountability and probity.
Example records may comprise of or relate to:
- Minutes and reports relating to our board
- Our business plan.
Legal, complaints and information rights: The function by which we collect, manage, preserve, produce access to, and where appropriate, dispose of information and information resources.
Example records may comprise or relate to:
- Data breaches (serious).
Products and services: Records created in the course of producing any form of guidance, advice, or supporting products covering clinical topics, medicines practice, public health, social care, interventional procedures, technology appraisals, medical technologies, diagnostics, indicators and quality standards.
Example records may comprise of or relate to:
- Evidence statements and evidence reviews.
- Topic selection.
Any published guidance, advice (new and updates), and surveillance reviews are transferred to and stored at The British Library, in accordance with the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 and The National Archives collection policy.
Public inquiries: Records submitted as evidence by us to a public inquiry (such as Covid-19 or Thirlwall) may be sent to The National Archives (copies only) by the inquiry. The original records will then be returned to us by the inquiry and will subsequently be deposited with The National Archives under their collection policy.
Records relating to the following functions are not likely to be selected as they are unlikely to be of public interest or hold historical value:
- communications
- facilities management
- financial records (annual reports and accounts to be transferred to The British Library)
- human resources
- information technology
- procurement.
The National Archives have been capturing our external facing website www.nice.org.uk since February 2008. The website has been routinely captured once every 6 months (May and November). From May 2020 to February 2022, The National Archives captured the website once a month as part of their work to document the response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, however they have now reverted to the 6-monthly capture schedule.
The National Archives have also captured our YouTube channel (originating in 2012) and Twitter account from 2017 to July 2023, after which The National Archives were prevented from capturing any further Twitter accounts (now the social media platform X).