Heart Valve Voice News

In England, clinical guidelines are developed by an independent non-departmental public body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE appoints an independent advisory committee for the guidelines, comprising healthcare professionals as well as lay representatives with lived experience, assisted by teams whose work covers evidence review and support, health economic evaluation, guideline recommendation development and quality assurance. Registered stakeholders with an interest in the guideline topic, or representing people whose practice or care may be affected by the guideline, are consulted on the draft guidelines.

I was approached by Heart Valve Voice to participate in the NICE Guideline consultation after sharing my heart valve disease story. After my story was first published, I spoke with the team and was keen to get involved in helping support other patients living with valve disease and use my experience to give back, so when they contacted me to say I could help shape guidelines, I was more than happy to get involved and contribute. 

As we mark 25 years of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the impact of its Guideline for ‘Heart valve disease presenting in adults: investigation and management’ published in 2021.