A clinical practice guideline on Donor breast milk banks is being developed for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Registered stakeholders for this guideline are invited to comment on the provisional recommendations via this website. 

Individuals and organisations not registered as stakeholders are not able to comment, we recommend that you register as a stakeholder or you contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them.

Note that the provisional recommendations presented here do not constitute the Institute's formal guidance on this topic.  The recommendations are provisional and may change after consultation.

Consultation dates:  8 September to 5pm on 6 October 2009

Consultation documents

• Full version
• Appendices to full version
• Comments proforma

The full version describes the evidence and views that have been considered, and sets out the provisional recommendations that have been developed.

Points to consider in the consultation

Full version

• Points or areas that are not covered, but which appear to fall within the scope of the guideline
• Potential inconsistencies or any disagreement with the Guideline Development Groups interpretation of the evidence
• The practical value of the provisional recommendations.

General

• Do you think this guidance could be changed to better promote equality of opportunity relating to age, disability, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion and belief, sexual orientation or socio-economic status?

In answering this question, please include details of:

• Which particular parts of the guidance you think affect equality of opportunity.
• Why and how you think equality of opportunity is affected.

How to submit your comments

Please use the comments proforma and return by email to DonorBreastMilk@nice.org.uk

The Institute is unable to accept:

• Comments from non-registered organisations – if you wish your comments to be considered please register via the NICE website
• Comments from individuals – please contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them
• Comments received after the consultation deadline (5pm)
• Comments that are not on the correct proforma
•  More than one response per stakeholder organisation
• Confidential information or other material that you would not wish to be made public
• Personal medical information about yourself or another person from which your or the person’s identity could be ascertained.

What will happen to your comments

• All eligible comments  will be sent to the developers at the end of the consultation
• Comments from registered stakeholders and nominated expert reviewers ONLY will be formally responded to by the developers and posted on the NICE website after the final guideline is published
• No action will be taken upon receipt of personal, individual comments, comments from non-registered organisations and late comments.
• Please note: The Institute reserves the right to summarise and edit comments received during consultations, or not to publish them at all, where in the reasonable opinion of the Institute, the comments are voluminous, publication would be unlawful or publication would be otherwise inappropriate.

Acknowledgement of comments

You should receive an automated acknowledgement from the email box when you email your comments.  If you do not receive this acknowledgement, please contact the relevant Guidelines Coordinator to ensure your comments have been safely received.

Comments received in the course or consultations carried out by the Institute are published in the interests of openness and transparency, and to promote understanding of how recommendations are developed. The comments are published as a record of the submissions that the Institute has received, and are not endorsed by the Institute, its officers or advisory committees.

Anticipated publication date: 24 February 2010

Further information

• More information on NICE’s guideline development process