NICE is developing a guideline on Antimicrobial stewardship: systems and processes for effective antimicrobial medicine use. The draft scope defines what aspects of care the guideline will cover and to whom it will apply. Registered stakeholders for this guideline are invited to submit comments on the scope and may suggest questions that could be answered in the guideline. Individuals and organisations not registered as stakeholders are not able to comment, we recommend that you register as a stakeholder for this medicines practice guideline or contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them.

Consultation dates: 5 March - 2 April 2014

Consultation documents

• Draft scope
• Registered stakeholders list

Points to consider in the consultation

Do you think this scope 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 scope you think affect equality of opportunity
• Why and how you think equality of opportunity is affected.

NICE is particularly interested in stakeholder views on the following:

1) We are interested in knowing whether there are any specific areas throughout the patient journey that particularly need to improve in relation to antimicrobial stewardship, such as:

a. health professional beliefs and attitudes

b. patient beliefs and expectations of antimicrobials

c. information for patients who are given antimicrobials.

2) What are the key priority areas for the guideline to focus on?

3) Could the scope be easier to read and follow?

4) Do the review questions sufficiently address the issues identified in the draft scope?

How to submit your comments

Please provide all responses to the consultation using the comments form (ensuring all relevant fields are completed, including your organisation's full name) and forward this electronically by 5pm on Wednesday 2 April 2014 at the very latest to AMSguidance@nice.org.uk.

The Institute is unable to accept

• comments from non-registered organisations - if you wish your comments to be considered please register as a stakeholder for this medicines practice guideline
• comments from individuals - please contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them
• more than one response per stakeholder organisation
• comments received after the consultation deadline (5pm)
• comments that are not on the correct form, or incorrectly completed forms
• 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

• The NICE project team will review all eligible comments received at the end of the consultation.
• Comments from registered stakeholders and nominated expert reviewers ONLY will be formally responded to and posted on the NICE website after the final scope 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.

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.

Consultation on draft guideline: November - December 2014

Anticipated publication date: March 2015