NICE welcomes call to reduce ineffective spending

NICE will develop a new set of products to help the NHS make better use of its resources by reducing spending on ineffective treatments – ones that do not improve patient care or do not represent good value for money. Moving away from ineffective practice will save money that the NHS can invest in drugs and approaches to care that make a positive difference to patients’ lives. NICE will develop three new types of product:

• Technology appraisals and clinical guidelines aimed at reducing ineffective practice.

NICE will use its existing methods to give advice on the use of technologies or approaches to care currently used by the NHS where evidence suggests that current practice is no longer appropriate or effective and does not improve patient care.

• Recommendation reminders.

NICE will highlight recommendations from its existing guidance that advise the NHS to stop an intervention that is ineffective or poor value for money.

• Commissioning guides.

NICE will offer practical advice for NHS commissioners on how to commission routine services in line with NICE recommendations. The guides will set benchmarks for commissioning and provide data for local comparison with those benchmarks.

Commenting on the announcement, NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon stated: “NICE already advises the NHS on when it should invest in new drugs and treatments that work well for patients. It’s common sense for us to also advise the NHS on when it is appropriate to stop using treatments that don’t benefit patients or do not represent good value for money where there are better alternatives available.”