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.