NICE indicator process guide

4.1 How stakeholders are involved

NICE indicators are subject to consultation with stakeholders. Stakeholders are organisations with an interest in a particular topic for which an indicator is being developed; they may represent people whose practice or care is directly affected.

Stakeholders include: national organisations for people who use health and social care services, their families and carers, and the public; local Healthwatch organisations; national organisations that represent health and social care practitioners and other people whose care may be affected by the NICE indicators, this may include; public sector providers and commissioners of care or services; private, voluntary sector and other independent providers of care or services; companies that manufacture drugs, devices, equipment or adaptations, and commercial industries relevant to public health; organisations that fund or carry out research; government departments and national statutory agencies.

Individual members of the public can also respond to consultations.

To ensure the appropriate stakeholders are involved in the development of indicators, NICE:

4.2 How NICE communicates with stakeholders

NICE emails stakeholders to tell them the consultation dates. Information about the consultation is also published on the NICE website when it opens. Stakeholders are invited to submit comments using a dedicated email address.

4.3 Respondents

When registering, and when commenting on the draft indicators, stakeholders are asked to disclose whether their organisation has any direct or indirect links to, or receives or has ever received funding from, the tobacco industry. Disclosures will be included with the published consultation responses. Tobacco companies and those who speak for them or are funded by them (collectively referred to as 'tobacco organisations') cannot register as stakeholders. This is in line with NICE's obligation under Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to protect public health policies from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. Tobacco organisations are simply referred to as 'respondents' and any comments received during consultation are reviewed for factual inaccuracy claims and are made public along with any responses.