Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what relative priority he attaches to non-trial evidence compared to evidence from randomised clinical trials to inform NICE and NHS commissioning guidance.
The way in which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) assesses and prioritises evidence is set out in the methods and processes for each of its work programmes. The NICE guideline development manual outlines the different types of evidence NICE looks at and how it is reviewed in a systematic transparent way, including observational and real-world evidence. A copy of ‘Developing NICE guidelines: the manual’ is attached.