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    NICE integrated topic prioritisation and strategic principles

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    Appendix 2: NICE prioritisation board terms of reference and membership

    Terms of reference

    The NICE prioritisation board:

    • enables NICE to focus on what matters most

    • sets the strategic direction that underpins consistent prioritisation decisions

    • resolves strategic and directional challenges given divergent perspectives from across the organisation and among external stakeholders

    • maintains alignment with related initiatives that inform prioritisation by being mindful of these, system need and demand

    • provides an effective 'one organisation' approach to topic selection that ensures NICE outputs deliver coordinated, integrated outcomes

    • ensures that resource implications and risks are identified and addressed

    • fosters a transparent approach by publishing key information, decisions and outputs.

    The NICE prioritisation board will approve both new work and updates of guidance topics. It will also stand down or retire topics when appropriate. There will be a mechanism to consult and inform key external stakeholders before and after the meetings as needed. This includes our sponsor teams.

    Governance

    • The Chief Medical Officer will chair the prioritisation board.

    • The prioritisation board will meet every 4 weeks (this will be kept under review).

    • Any urgent decisions needed between meetings will be taken by the chair and discussed with NICE's guidance executive.

    • Other individuals not formally included as members may be invited to join specific meetings to provide subject matter expertise on specific topics.

    • The quorum for the meeting will be 9 members in attendance, including at least 1 member from each of the 3 guidance producing centres (Centre for Guidelines, Medicines Evaluation and Medical Technology). If a member with specific expertise (for example, expertise in sustainability and health inequalities) is unable to attend, they should nominate a deputy with delegated decision-making authority who will count towards the quorum.

    • For decision making, two thirds of voting members will need to vote.

    • The Chief Medical Officer is responsible for communication with guidance executive and the executive team. A summary of decisions from the prioritisation board will be agreed by guidance executive once a month. Once a quarter, a high-level report on priorities for guidance will be shared with the NICE board as part of the executive team update.

    • A summary of decisions made by the prioritisation board will be communicated both internally and externally, and taken forward by the clinical directorate.

    • The Chief Medical Officer will have a casting vote only to resolve a deadlock in decision making.

    • The associate director of NICE Advice will be on the board in an advisory capacity and will not have voting rights.

    • The prioritisation board terms of reference and membership will be reviewed every 6 months.

    • Subgroups will have their own terms of reference.

    • The Chief Medical Officer will escalate any issues or challenges to the guidance executive. If further escalation is needed, this will be to the executive team and finally to NICE's board.

    • The decisions agreed at the prioritisation board meeting will be summarised in a monthly report. The frequency of this report may change depending on the schedule of the prioritisation board meetings. This report is for information only, and any issues for discussion by exception will be highlighted.

    • An annual forward plan developed by the topic prioritisation team and approved by the prioritisation board will be shared with guidance executive for final sign-off before publication on the NICE website.

    Membership

    All members are asked to advise on suitability of topics for prioritisation and routing considerations.

    Members

    • Chief Medical Officer (chair)

    • Clinical directorate: associate directors, topic intelligence and monitoring team (deputy chair)

    • Clinical directorate: programme director (health inequalities)

    • Clinical directorate: consultant clinical adviser

    • Implementation and Partnerships: representative

    • Science, Evidence and Analytics (evidence and sustainability): representative

    • Centre for Guidelines (leadership): representative

    • Centre for Guidelines (operational delivery): representative

    • Centre for Health Technology Evaluation (CHTE) medicines (leadership team): representative

    • CHTE medicines (operational delivery): representative

    • CHTE health technology (leadership team): representative

    • CHTE health technology (operational delivery): representative

    • NICE Advice: associate director (in advisory capacity)

    • Topic intelligence and office for digital health: associate director

    • Publishing and Products: associate director

    • Resource: associate director

    • Strategy: associate director

    • External communications: associate director

    • 2 lay members

    Support staff

    • Clinical directorate: coordinator (secretariat)

    • Clinical directorate: chief of staff

    Observer

    • Clinical fellow(s)

    Duration of membership

    Any member recruited solely for the purpose of participating in the board (such as lay members) will be subject to the NICE appointments to advisory bodies policy and procedure.

    Other observers

    NICE staff and NICE committee members may attend prioritisation board meetings as observers, with the agreement of the Chair.

    Confidentiality

    Confidential information (such as academic or commercial-in-confidence material or sensitive personal data disclosed in panel discussions) will not be discussed with the media or members of the panel who are conflicted for the topic being discussed.

    Declaring and managing interests

    The NICE prioritisation board secretariat is responsible for ensuring that non-NICE members of the panel follow the NICE policy for declaring and managing interests for advisory committees.

    Meetings and papers

    • Meeting frequency will be planned to meet the operational needs of topic selection for timely guidance output.

    • The clinical directorate will decide the agenda before each meeting.

    • The secretariat will send the meeting papers to all attendees 1 week before the meeting.

    • The minutes will record significant decisions and actions relating to the topics discussed.

    Transparency

    The NICE website will be updated with the prioritisation board's decision.

    Accountability

    The NICE prioritisation board has the authority to make final decisions about which topics are selected for guidance development and how that guidance is routed.

    Review of terms of reference

    The terms of reference will be reviewed annually.

    Date: May 2024

    Review date: May 2025