Help develop guidance on interventional procedures

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are currently looking for members of the public (usually referred to as ‘lay members’) to join the interventional procedures advisory committee who will help to develop and update NICE guidance on a range of different procedures used for diagnosis or treatment. See the recruitment advert for details of what working with the committee involves, the kind of experience and knowledge NICE are looking for, and how to apply. Recruitment is open until 5pm on Tuesday 7 Sept 2021.

This guidance looks at procedures used for diagnosis or treatment. It considers if they are safe and work well enough for wider use in the NHS. 

An interventional procedure covers a broad range of topics. It can include things like:

• making a cut or a hole to gain access to the inside of a patient’s body
    For example, carrying out an operation or inserting a tube into a blood vessel.
• gaining access to a body cavity without cutting
    For example, carrying out treatment inside the stomach using an instrument inserted via the mouth.
• using electromagnetic radiation
    For example, using a laser to treat eye problems.

More information about the interventional procedures advisory committee and its current members is available from the NICE website.

NICE are looking for people with some experience and understanding of the issues important to patients, people using services, unpaid carers, communities and the public when considering having an interventional procedure. Lay members need to be able to contribute effectively in a formal committee setting; all meetings are held virtually at the moment. Lay members are paid a fee to attend meetings and other expenses.

To give you an idea of the type of guidance the interventional procedures advisory committee produces, NICE have recently published:

• Laser lithotripsy for difficult-to-treat bile duct stones
• Deep brain stimulation for chronic, severe, treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults

The public involvement programme at NICE is on Twitter, and you can follow them @NICEGetInvolved 

NICE really value the contribution that people who use health and social care services, their carers and advocates make to our guidance.