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Drug Information and Prescribing Guidance to become a key part of NHS Evidence

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 12 December 2008

Drug reference information in the British National Formulary will become a key element of the new NHS Evidence portal due to be launched in April 2009. As a result, responsibility for provision of this information for the NHS will transfer from the Department of Health to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), as part of the development of NHS Evidence.

Currently, basic drug reference information is provided for the NHS in England, via the Department of Health's contract for purchase of the British National Formulary (BNF) and British National Formulary for Children (BNFC). This contract will therefore also transfer to NICE with effect from April 2009.

'High Quality Care for All' - the NHS Next Stage Review Final Report, set out plans for the establishment of NHS Evidence, a new single portal providing access to evidence and clinical information. The new service will aim to provide health professionals and patients with a 'one-stop-shop' for their information needs. Drug reference information will form a key part of this new resource, supporting the safe and effective use of medicines.

The BNF publications are published jointly by the BMJ Group and Royal Pharmaceutical Society Publishing, together with Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the case of the BNF for Children. These publications are also available on line. The independent and authoritative information they provide about the use of medicines is a key point of reference for doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. NHS Evidence will work in partnership with the publisher to ensure that the BNFs continue to provide high quality and clinically relevant advice, and to make the publications available to NHS users.

NHS Evidence will ensure the delivery of this information via the internet and in the future the emphasis on digital information is likely to increase. Improvements being developed now include: provision of a browseable alphabetical index, together with changes designed to improve access to the information contained in the appendices to the BNFs.

Dr Gillian Leng, Interim Chief Operating Officer for NHS Evidence and NICE Deputy Chief Executive, commented: ' We are delighted that the BNF will become a key part of NHS Evidence at NICE. We are looking forward to working in partnership with the BNF to ensure that NHS staff have access to sound, up-to-date advice and information about the use of medicines'.

Professor Martin Kendall, Chairman of the BNF's Formulary Development Committee, also welcomed the decision: ' Working with NICE to support the development of NHS Evidence is a logical progression for the BNF, which will help to ensure that it continues to play an important role in supporting safe and effective prescribing practice. We look forward to a productive collaboration with our new colleagues'.

Notes to Editors:

'High Quality Care for All' - The NHS Next Stage Review Final Report, included proposals for the establishment of NHS Evidence, hosted by NICE. The aim of NHS Evidence is to bring together evidence and information via a new portal providing NHS staff and others with a single, authoritative source for their information needs.

Given the aims of NHS Evidence, and the fact that drugs are a key component of NHS services and driver of NHS expenditure, it is clear that information about medicines will be a key part of the new resource.

The devolved administrations make their own separate arrangements for purchase of the BNFs.