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NICE strategic principles: a complementary approach to public health, social care and rare disease topics 

Strategic principles for public health

Strategic principles for public health

1.1 Definition

Public health works to protect and improve the health of the population as a whole; supporting all people in society to stay healthy, avoid getting ill and live longer healthier lives. For NICE, this includes work on a range of areas including early detection of symptomatic disease, supporting healthy behaviours, and promoting access to healthy environments.  

1.2 Background

The regulations arising from the Health and Social Care Act 2012 provide NICE with a function of giving advice or guidance, providing information and making recommendations about any matter concerning or connected with the provision of public health services in England. The legislation also provides that the function is only exercisable on the direction of Secretaries of State. 

Public health and prevention are increasingly important in a landscape of limited resources and increasing demand for health and care services. The public health landscape has changed greatly in recent years with the creation and dissolution of some central organisations, and the establishment of integrated care systems in England. In light of this shifting landscape and NICE's new centralised prioritisation approach, it is timely for us to work with partners to clearly define our role and set out where we can add most value to the system.

1.3 Principles

The following principles will be used to guide our approach to the prioritisation and development of public health guidance:

  • We will prioritise developing and updating public health guidance only where there is new evidence, an opportunity for system support and health gain, and a clear route to effective implementation.

  • We will recognise the importance of prevention as well as treatment when scoping guidance across the NICE portfolio.

  • We will focus our selection of public health guidance to support implementation in practice. This will mean being explicit about our intended audience wherever possible and thinking beyond implementation in traditional health settings.

  • Where there is appropriate evidence, we will consider the impact of the wider determinants of health (such as social, economic and environmental factors) on health outcomes during the prioritisation of new and updated guidance across NICE.

  • We will recognise that the nature of evidence within public health may be different to that available within clinical medicine.

  • We will ensure alignment with other relevant organisations within the health and care system, such as NHS England, UK Health Security Agency and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. We will collaborate on areas of joint interest and avoid duplication of effort by focusing on the areas where we can add the greatest value.

  • We will work closely with research partners to highlight where research gaps limit evidence-based recommendations.


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