A NICE quality standard on multiple sclerosis is being developed.  

We would like to receive suggestions from registered stakeholders about areas for quality improvement, i.e. key areas related to the topic which would be considered to have the greatest potential to improve the quality of care.

The topic overview for the quality standard is published on the NICE website for information and describes core elements of the quality standard.

We are not able to consider comments from individuals and organisations not registered as stakeholders. We recommend that organisations register as a stakeholder or individuals contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them.

Stakeholder registration

If you wish to register as a stakeholder for this topic please complete a stakeholder registration form.

Engagement documents

• Multiple sclerosis: topic overview
• Engagement comments proforma

Question for this engagement exercise

We are interested in receiving information on the following:

• What are the key areas for quality improvement that you would want to see covered by this quality standard?
• In answering this question, prioritise up to 5 areas which you consider as having the greatest potential to improve the quality of care.
• For each key area for quality improvement, please state the specific aspects of care or service delivery that should be addressed – we cannot include general statements.

In support of your suggestions, it is essential that you provide:

• Evidence or information that care in the suggested key areas for quality improvement is poor or variable and requires improvement?
• If available, any national data sources that collect data relating to your suggested key areas for quality improvement?

NICE is unable to:

• Consider comments from non-registered organisations – if you wish your comments to be considered please register via the NICE website
• Consider comments from individuals – please contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them (please see the above stakeholder lists).
• Accept more than one response per stakeholder organisation
• Consider comments received after the consultation deadline (5pm)
• Consider comments that are not on the correct proforma
• Accept confidential information or other material that you would not wish to be made public. If you wish to provide academic in confidence material i.e. written but not yet published, or commercial in confidence i.e. internal documentation, please could you highlight this.
• Accept personal medical information about yourself or another person from which your or the person’s identity could be ascertained.

How to submit your suggestions

• We are interested in a range of different types of information to support the basis for quality improvement and potential development within the quality standard.
• We would like to receive concise supporting information for each key area.  Please provide reference to examples from the published or grey literature such as national, regional or local reports of variation in care, audits, surveys, confidential enquiries, uptake reports and evaluations such as impact of NICE guidance recommendations.
• Please note that for copyright reasons we cannot accept submissions with electronic attachments of published material (eg journal articles), or hard copies of published material. However, if you give us the full citation, we will obtain our own copy.
• We are able to accept attachments of unpublished reports, local reports / documents. If you wish to provide academic in confidence material i.e. written but not yet published, or commercial in confidence i.e. internal documentation, please could you highlight this. This can be done using the highlighter function in word.
• Please provide all submissions using the comments proforma (ensuring all relevant fields are completed, including your organisation's full name) and forward this electronically by 5pm on 18 March 2015 at the very latest to this email address: QStopicengagement@nice.org.uk

What will happen to your suggestions

• All eligible suggestions for quality improvement received during this engagement exercise will be reviewed by the Health and Social Care Programme team.
• Comments on the topic overview are then published on the NICE website.
• This information will be considered by the Quality Standards Advisory Committee (QSAC) who will agree which quality statements and measures should be developed for the quality standard. Our process guide sets out the criteria and processes involved in quality standards development.
• Comments provided in this engagement exercise will not receive a formal response.
• Note that this is not a consultation on the draft quality standard. There will be a consultation on the draft quality standard when it has been produced according to the development schedule for this topic.

Endorsing NICE Quality Standards

NICE is proud to jointly badge quality standards to help to achieve maximum dissemination among relevant audiences. If your organisation is interested in endorsing this quality standard please email QSsupportingorgs@nice.org.uk  to express an interest.

Those who endorse quality standards must be:

• National service user, patient, carer, voluntary, charity and non-governmental organisations that are run by, or directly reflect the perspectives of people who use services, carers or client groups, and represent the interests of people whose care is expected to be covered by the quality standard in England when it is produced.
• National organisations that represent the professionals who provide the care or services expected to be described in the quality standard in England when it is produced.
• National organisations that represent providers of care or services expected to be described in the quality standard in England when it is produced.

Statutory organisations (an organisation set up by government for a specific purpose) including Ofsted, Care Quality Commission, Health Protection Agency, National Screening Committee, Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and Local Government Improvement and Development.