The Citizens Council, which advises NICE, has published its final report on which societal values should influence NICE’s decisions about getting the best value from the money spent (efficiency) whilst ensuring those resources are shared fairly (equity).
The Citizens Council – a group of 30 members of the general public – considered the societal values which influence decisions on how health and social care resources are allocated. The Council concluded that there are a number of values based on fairness across the board, that apply across public health, health, and social care when making decisions on equity and efficiency. These include a right to health and welfare for all, collective responsibility, dignity, value, honesty, and humanity.
They also decided that there are some additional values that were particular priorities for each of the three areas of care, including:
- public health: individual rights; maximising total benefit; safeguarding the vulnerable
- social care: right to health and welfare for all; independence; individual choice
- healthcare: justice; respect; being non-judgmental.
The Council’s view provides public input into the Institute’s work and will inform the work of NICE's independent advisory committees.