Press release from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence
The Citizens Council of NICE has published a report that reflects the Council's views about whether there are circumstances in which the age of a person should be taken into account when NICE is making a decision about how treatments should be used in the NHS. The Council considered age at all stages of life, from newborn babies to people in old age, and every age in between.
The Citizens Council is made up of members of the public drawn from all walks of life that reflect the make-up of the population in England and Wales. Their ages range from 18 to 76. In addition to hearing from expert witnesses on the topic of 'age', the National Children's Bureau was commissioned to research the views of children and young people on the issues covered by the Citizens Council and the Council considered their views alongside other evidence.
At its most recent meeting in November 2003 the Council considered the question: "Should we be more generous in our definition of what constitutes value for money for some age groups rather than others and if so why?" The Board of NICE will issue a formal response to the recommendations contained in the report at its next public Board meeting on Wednesday 17 March 2004.
The report can be accessed at
http://www.nice.org.uk/pdf/Citizenscouncil_report_age.pdf
David McDaid
LSE Health and Social Care
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