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NICE

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

NICE writes national clinical guidelines for England and decides whether new treatments are good enough value for the NHS to fund.

Updated 12 October 2026 (1 minute read)

Summary

  • It was set up in 1999 to reduce variation in the treatments offered in different areas.
  • It compares the cost of a treatment with the health it adds, measured in QALYs.
  • The NHS in England must fund a treatment that NICE recommends in a technology appraisal.
  • Its guidelines are recommendations. A doctor can depart from one with good reason.

Interview questions

  • What does NICE do?
  • NICE rejects a drug that would extend a patient's life by a few months. How would you explain that to them?
  • Is it right that cost decides which treatments patients can have?

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Cases that turn on it

ADHD and autism overdiagnosis debate Autonomy Far more people in England are diagnosed with ADHD and autism than 25 years ago. People disagree over whether ordinary difficulties are being given medical labels, or people who were missed for years are at last being recognised. A government review reported on 9 October 2026 that it could not show overdiagnosis on a large scale, partly because the data are out of date. It wants help to be given on need, without waiting for a diagnosis. Weight loss drugs for children Autonomy Weight loss injections such as Wegovy are licensed in the UK from the age of 12, and drug companies are testing them in children as young as six. On 7 October 2026 the World Health Organization said it does not recommend any obesity medicine for a child under 10. It said too little is known about what the drugs do to a growing body.

More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.