Nicky has NICE influence
Date of release: 12 December 2023
A senior Wolverhampton clinician has been part of a group that has influenced national guidance for adults struggling with breathing difficulties this winter and beyond.
Nicky MacDuff, Nurse Consultant, Department of Respiratory Medicine at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), was invited to be part of the committees that produced two documents for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
This guidance is part of a group of documents to support the management of respiratory infections in the community.
The guideline covers assessment of people aged 16 and over with symptoms and signs of acute respiratory infection at first contact – remote or in-person – with NHS services, and the initial management of any infections.
It also aims to support healthcare practitioners and forms part of work on virtual wards undertaken by NICE.
“These guidelines/quality standards were requested by NHS England and we were under a fair amount of pressure to produce them in under six months – in time for winter,” said Nicky, who is based at New Cross Hospital.
“The committee was made up of a multi-disciplinary team of experts who had to consider best evidence and, where evidence did not exist, on consensus of best practice from the committee.
“The NICE guideline process is very robust and stakeholder comments were considered and amendments made to the guideline as a result.”
Nicky added: “One of the main aims of these new documents was to ensure people with respiratory illnesses were correctly signposted to the right services to ensure they received advice, monitoring and further review if needed.
“Keeping our communities safe this winter and – where possible – treated in the comfort of their own homes, is our priority.”
The guideline has now been published on the NICE website
The documents are:- Suspected acute respiratory infection in over 16s: assessment at first presentation and initial management, NICE guideline [NG237] Published: 31 October 2023
- Acute respiratory infection in over 16s: initial assessment and management including virtual wards (hospital at home), Quality standard [QS210] Published: 31 October 2023
ENDS
- For further information, please call Tim Nash on 07714 741097 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net
