Interim process and methods guide for the clinical guideline updates using standing committees pilot programme 2013

4 The Clinical Guidelines Updates Committee

The main role of the Clinical Guidelines Updates Committee ('the committee') is to advise NICE on updating recommendations in published clinical guidelines. It develops recommendations in accordance with the methods and processes described in this document and the NICE guidelines manual 2012.

The committee normally has 15–18 voting members, comprising the chair, core members and up to 5 topic-specific members.

The core membership of the committee (see appendix B) is drawn from across the NHS. It includes healthcare professionals from a range of disciplines and localities, NHS commissioners and managers, patients and carers, and members from academia. Core committee members are recruited via open advert in accordance with the recruitment policy for NICE committees.

Topic-specific members of the committee are drawn primarily from the Guideline Development Group (GDG) for the existing guideline, recruited via expressions of interest. If none of the original GDG members express an interest in joining the committee, NICE will recruit via open advert and normal processes. Topic-specific members are full voting members for the duration of development for that topic.

Additional expert witnesses may be invited to attend meetings and advise the committee on a topic by topic basis, to assist in considering and interpreting the evidence. They do not have voting rights and do not count towards the quorum of the committee.

The committee meets for one 2-day meeting every quarter, with the first meeting in October 2013. The Terms of Reference and Standing Orders of the committee are available on the NICE website. It is planned that a further committee will start work in 2014.