ABSTRACT
Those closest to NICE, including founding Chairman Mike Rawlins, saw NICE’s treatment guidelines as its most important activity. They certainly affect a larger group of patients than technology appraisals. Like them, guidelines exemplify the application of evidence-based policymaking to health (and now also social) care, and to public health. Drawing on interviews with those at the heart of guidelines development, we show how important this process is, both for health and social care and for the practice of policymaking in Britain. This chapter examines the coverage of cost-effectiveness in guidelines, NICE staffing guidelines and the changes since the guidelines programme began.
