The UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has launched a new online resource specifically for healthcare professionals working in general practice.
Acknowledging the reforms to the NHS planned in the Health and Social Care Bill, one of the site’s four sections is ‘NICE for GP consortia’, which aims to explain the support the agency can provide to GP-led commissioning bodies.
The other sections of the site are ‘NICE for my patients’, with resources for finding advice on patient care and consultation; ‘Using NICE guidance in my practice’, with advice on implementing guidance and providing feedback; and ‘My NICE resources’, with support for how NICE can help with professional education and development.
Cost-saving guidance in the ‘NICE for GP consortia’ section of NICE’s new online resource
Each section will focus on supporting the use of evidence-based medicine and public health practice in primary care, with information available including top 10 NICE guidelines for general practice and summaries of the key points for general practice with the publication of new NICE guidance each month.
The content of the site was written with the help of GPs, practice nurses and managers.
Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) praised the site, saying it could potentially be an ‘invaluable new resource’ for GP practice staff.
“It can be a real challenge to keep up-to-date with NICE guidance, but this new resource will help GPs and their staff develop a systematic approach to identifying and using NICE guidance,” she added.