NICE values, essential values

摘要

Our commentary this month asks an important ques- tion: what happened to values at NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence? Peter Littlejohns et al. are worried that the UK’s world- renowned rationing organisation has downgraded the importance of social values in its judgements.! NICE is under scrutiny as it celebrates 20 years. At the outset, that seemed an optimistic longevity. Rationing had its critics as it still does, but the effect- iveness of rationing policies was unproven. NICE won over critics with evidence-based guidance that was implemented nationally and spawned imitators in other countries. But consideration of social values helped contextualise evidence and make it more palatable. NICE is a healthcare organisation that the UK can be proud of and recommitting to social values is essential to its success and ongoing leadership.