The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides national guidance to improve health and social care. As a nursing professional, there are a number of ways you can participate in the development of NICE guidance.

The RCN acts as a consultee and stakeholder for all NICE work programmes, except where the topic or condition being considered is not managed by nurses and nursing staff. Although NICE guidance relates to health care in England, the other three countries of the UK may choose to adapt or adopt the guidance, depending on local agreements.

Members of the nursing team are involved in almost every pathway of care. As an RCN member, your involvement with the development of NICE guidance is crucial. NICE guidance aims to improve the quality of patient care and therefore it’s essential that nurses are involved from the outset to ensure that the guidance has a nursing perspective.

In Scotland, you can also get involved in developing Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines. See how we work with SIGN Nursing and SIGN Clinical Engagement Compact. Get in touch if you would like to participate.