11 Communicating prioritisation and routing decisions

NICE process and methods

All prioritisation decisions are shared with DHSC and NHSE before publication on the NICE website.

NICE seeks a formal referral from DHSC or NHSE for new topics prioritised by the board.

The notifier (and person who suggested the topic to NICE, if these people are different) are informed about the prioritisation and routing decision.

NICE prioritisation board decisions are published on the NICE website with the:

topic name and identification number
decision (selected, further information needed, not selected with possible outcomes in section 9.3.3)
brief rationale for the decision
date of the decision.

Topics that are not prioritised can be reconsidered if the NICE team is made aware of new information that addresses the reasons for non-selection, and more than 6 months have elapsed since the original decision was published.

Once a topic has been selected, it is scheduled for NICE guidance development, subject to formal referral from DHSC or NHSE in accordance with Regulation 5 of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Constitution and Functions) and the Health and Social Care Information Centre (Functions) Regulations 2013.

Topics that do not have UK regulatory approval or that have not been launched in the UK are scheduled so that the guidance publishes alongside or as early as possible after approval and launch. Topics that already have UK regulatory approval and have been launched in the UK are scheduled for development as soon as is practical. Scheduling topics for development takes into account the existing guidance development schedule and external factors such as ongoing studies to generate relevant evidence.