The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health launched their set of clinical guidelines for the identification, treatment and management of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder for children and adults on 23rd November 2005.
NICE is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance in England and Wales on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health. Clinical guidelines are recommendations on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS in England and Wales. They are based on the best available evidence. Guidelines are produced to try to help healthcare professionals in their work.
OCD-UK was involved as a stakeholder in the initial development of
the guidelines for OCD and the subsequent press launch.
The NICE guidelines are important and useful tools for patients with
OCD because they provide a standard which every NHS trust must implement
in the treatment of OCD. So, if a health professional does not seem
to know what treatment to offer, he/she can be referred to the NICE
guidelines.
If you would like a copy of the NICE guidelines you can order it by
calling the NHS Response Line on 0870 1555 455 (national rate) and asking
for:
N0920
Information for the public or
N0919
Quick reference guide (for health professionals)
Alternatively, you can obtain a copy from OCD-UK. Please send two first class stamps when requesting your copy.
Download the public information guide (266.7Kb - 2min 33sec @ 28.8Kbps)
OCD-UK Comment
OCD-UK are delighted that the new NICE guidelines for OCD have been released and hopefully will now provide more consistent treatment for this often disabling condition. We are pleased to see that the guidelines recommend psychological treatments such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as the first line of treatment for OCD. However, we have huge concerns that the guidelines will benefit the majority of OCD sufferers unless much needed investment is made available to improve psychological services.
The NICE guidelines are undoubtedly a step in the right direction and
we certainly welcome their introduction but we doubt a beneficial impact
from the guidelines without more accurate and earlier diagnosis of OCD.
NICE FAQ's
What are NICE clinical guidelines?
Clinical guidelines are recommendations on the appropriate treatment and
care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS in
England and Wales. They are based on the best available evidence. Guidelines
help healthcare professionals in their work, but they do not replace their
knowledge and skills.
What are clinical guidelines for?
Good clinical guidelines can change the process of healthcare and improve
outcomes. For example, well-constructed and up-to-date clinical guidelines:
Provide
recommendations for the treatment and care of people by health professionals.
Can
be used to develop standards to assess the clinical practice of health
professionals.
Can
be used in the education and training of health professionals.
Can
help patients to make informed decisions, and improve communication between
the patient and health professional.
How does NICE develop its clinical guidelines?
The guideline topics referred to NICE by the Secretary of State for Health
and the Welsh Assembly Government are published on the NICE website. Stakeholder
organisations are then invited to register their interest in individual
guidelines through the website.
The boundaries of the guideline – what it will and will not cover – are drawn up by the National Collaborating Centre (NCC) commissioned by NICE to develop the guideline. They are written up in a document called the scope. NICE, registered stakeholders and an independent Guideline Review Panel have input into the development of the scope.
The NCC then establishes a Guideline Development Group comprising health professionals, lay representatives and technical experts. This Group assesses the evidence available on the guideline topic and makes recommendations based on this evidence. These form the core of the guideline.
Registered stakeholders have two opportunities to comment on the draft guideline, which is posted on the NICE website during the consultation periods. The Guideline Review Panel also reviews the guideline and checks that stakeholders’ comments have been addressed.
Following the final consultation period, the Guideline Development Group
finalises the recommendations and the NCC produces the final documents.
These are then submitted to NICE. NICE formally approves the guideline
and issues its guidance to the NHS in England and Wales.
Back
to Top ^ | Homepage
| E-mail this page to a friend
OCD-UK is a non-profit making charity and not associated with any other
organasation.
Medical information is provided for education/information purposes only, you should obtain further advice from your doctor. Any links to external websites have been carefully selected, however we are not responsible for the content of these third party websites.
Copyright © 2004-2008 OCD-UK. All rights reserved.
WC3 XHTML 1.0 Validated | WC3
CSS Validated | Sitemap
| Accessibility
