Making your response

Email or letter?
If you choose to email, you can put the letter in the body of the email or send it as an attachment. To an MP, it might be preferable to put it in the body of the email, because you would not expect them to want to print it out. To NICE or other addressees you might send it as an attachment so that it can be printed out more readily. Take care of the reference that your give the attached letter because it might be put into a saved file under that name.

Whichever you choose, take real care what you put on your Subject Line. If it is to an MP, make the point there that you are a constituent. The first thing they want to know is whether you are one of theirs. Leave them in no doubt.

Always make sure that both in the body of the email and in the letter, if is an attachment, you give your name, address and telephone number.

See relevant addresses below.

Please act now, so that you give your MP time to take any action you ask of them. Click on NICE campaign kicks off to find the deadline dates.

NICE requirements
NICE has very clear requirements for commenting on their Guidelines. You have a choice: either to comply with their requirements as summarised below or to send a letter which no doubt they will take into account in a general way, but not in relation to the guidelines. At present, we believe that writing a letter to NICE would not be the best use of your energy and would ask you to comply with their requirements or email us your comments. Letters to MPs and other addressees are unaffected by this.

Provisional schedule

Consultation on draft scope by stakeholders: 28 August-25 September 2007
Meeting with stakeholder organisations: 3 September 2007
First Guideline Development Group meeting: 21 November 2007
Consultation on draft of guideline with stakeholders: 24 February-21 April 2009
Expected date of issue: September 2009

Extracts from the NICE website

Depression in adults (update): draft guideline consultation

A clinical practice guideline on Depression in adults (update) is being developed for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Registered stakeholders for this guideline are invited to comment on the provisional recommendations via this website.

Although individuals and organisations not registered as stakeholders are able to comment, we recommend that you contact the registered stakeholder organisation that most closely represents your interests and pass your comments to them. We work closely with stakeholder organisations and take their views very seriously.

List of registered stakeholders and information on the progress for this guideline topic.

Note that the provisional recommendations presented here do not constitute the Institute's formal guidance on this topic. The recommendations are provisional and may change after consultation.

How to submit your comments
Please use the comments proforma and return by email to DPSC@nice.org.uk

The Institute is unable to accept:

More than one response per stakeholder organisation
Comments received after the consultation deadline (5pm)
Comments that are not on the correct proforma
Confidential information or other material that you would not wish to be made public
Personal medical information about yourself or another person from which your or the person's identity could be ascertained.

The proforma is at http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/DepressionUpdateCommentsForm.doc. It has to be completed with reference to the pragraph in the guidelines to which the comment refers (though you can have 'general comments' as well.)

What will happen to your comments

All comments (with the exception of personal, individual comments and late comments) will be sent to the developers at the end of the consultation
Comments from registered stakeholders and nominated expert reviewers ONLY will be formally responded to by the developers and posted on the NICE website after the final guideline is published
No action will be taken upon receipt of personal, individual comments and late comments.
PLEASE NOTE: The Institute reserves the right to summarise and edit comments received during consultations, or not to publish them at all, where in the reasonable opinion of the Institute, the comments are voluminous, publication would be unlawful or publication would be otherwise inappropriate.

Anticipated publication date: 23 September 2009

Letters and emails in general
Of course, because we believe our concerns are justified, we expect that you will want to support our view, but do make up your own minds and say what you believe, expect, fear or dread.

Be very clear that you are asking them to do something and be precise about what that is

To NICE you could ask them to take all or any of the actions UKCP will be asking (best put in your own words) referred to above

To your MP, you could ask them ask them to:

tell you what their views are and what they propose to do to influence NICE

agree with the UKCP position and tell you how they intend to influence NICE

write to The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP Secretary of State or Health and to Andrew Dillon CBE at NICE

table a question in Parliament asking the Secretary of State whether he considers that the changes to the NICE guidelines are consistent with the spirit of the Government's commitment to IAPT.

Take time to make it personal. If recipients feel that the letter they are reading was churned out in 30 seconds, they will put it aside in five.
Respect the fact that they are busy. It should not be more than two pages. One pithy page could be better. You can always tell your MP that you intend to visit them at their surgery or that you will provide more detail in writing if they want it.
Bullet points in letters are good. They aren't called bullets for nothing.

Add personal examples. The personal aspect can provide a visceral appeal which will balance the logic of the main argument. (And an MP will be especially concerned to look after his or her constituents - you and your patients):

You could talk of the consequences on the street of limitation of choice on the sort of patient / client group you are working with.

Numbers have impact - "I have worked with 15 patients ..." (voters!!)

for example: I am involved with depression arising from sexual abuse in cases of great complexity and harrowing detail (in our constituency - if this is a letter to an MP). It would have a thoroughly negative effect upon these poor people if the availability of psychotherapy was to become limited in accordance with the proposed NICE regime.

Please keep us informed of your actions and any replies you receive via an email to nice@ukcp.org.uk

Addresses and Contact Details

NICE
National Centre for Clinical Excellence
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NA

T: 0845 003 7780
F: 0845 003 7784
E: nice@nice.org.uk
W: http://www.nice.org.uk

Contacts at NICE:
Sir Michael Rawlins , Chairman (just re-elected for two more years after already serving ten years)
Mark Taylor, Vice Chairman
Andrew Dillon CBE, Chief Executive
Gillian Leng, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer for NHS Evidence
Peter Littlejohns, Clinical and Public Health Director

Your MP
If you don't know who he or she is you can easily find out on http://www.findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons

You can also reach your MP at: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP
Secretary of State for Health
E: johnsona@parliament.uk

The Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo
Minister of State for Public Health
E: primaroloa@parliament.uk

Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS

Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham KBE
E: darzia@parliament.uk
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health
House of Lords
Westminster
London SW1A 0PW

Ann Keen MP
E: keena@parliament.uk
Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health Services at the Department of Health
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS

Louis Appleby
National Director for Mental Health
E: newhorizons@dh.gsi.gov.uk (for Louis Appleby)
New Horizons
Department of Health
217 Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London SE1 8UG

Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Andrew Lansley MP
E: lansleya@parliament.uk
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

(Constituency Office)
153 St Neots Road
Hardwick
Cambridge
CB23 7QJ
T: 01954 212 707
F: 01954 211 625
w: http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Lansley_Andrew.aspx

Shadow Minister of Health
The Earl Howe
E: howef@parliament.uk

House of Lords
Westminster
London SW1A 0PW

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