The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today (4 February, 2010) announced the appointment of Professor Adrian Newland as the first Chair of its independent Diagnostics Advisory Committee, which was recently set up to evaluate diagnostic technologies and make recommendations for their use within the NHS in England.
Professor Newland has been a Consultant Haematologist at Barts and The London NHS Trust for almost 30 years, and Professor of Haematology at Barts and The London School of Medicine since 1995. He takes up his position as Chair having already held a number of high-profile positions, including President of the Royal College of Pathologists (2005 - 2008), and Director of the North East Thames Cancer Network (2001 – current), amongst many others. Professor Newland also chaired the London Cancer New Drugs Group, which has a remit to review drugs that have not yet been through the NICE assessment process.
The new committee will consider and interpret evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of diagnostic technologies, and produce recommendations to the NHS in England on their use in the NHS. Diagnostic technologies include:
• Pathological tests such as blood tests
• Imaging such as X-rays
• Endoscopy (looking inside the body using an endoscope)
• Physiological measurement (looking at the function of major organs)
The establishment of the new programme follows recognition from the Department of Health (DH) and the diagnostics industries that, in order to help the NHS make more efficient use of available diagnostics, there needs to be a separate programme within NICE, under the umbrella of its recently established Evaluation Pathway Programme for Medical Technologies, which will select topics to be considered by the committee.
The committee will have 21 standing members and a number of specialist members who will have specific expertise in the technology under review. Standing committee members will include health professionals, NHS managers, academics, industry representatives and two lay members.
Professor Newland commented: "I am delighted to take up the position of Chair of the Diagnostics Advisory Committee. This new programme is an important addition to NICE, and will greatly benefit both patients and the NHS as a whole. It will enable the NHS to make speedier and more robust decisions about adopting new medical diagnostic devices and technologies. I look forward to working closely with our partners in the NHS and the diagnostics industry in making sure that the guidance we produce on these technologies is based on the best evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness, and will have a positive impact on patient care.”
Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive, NICE said: “The Diagnostics Advisory Committee will be key to providing robust, expert and objective advice in the development of our guidance in this area. I am therefore very pleased to announce Professor Newland as the committee’s first Chair. He is a highly qualified professional, and brings a wealth of skills and experience to the post.”
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