Q&A Working within limits
Professor David Haslam talks about the challenges of his role as chair of NICE and his belief in the importance of individualised, patient-centred care
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ROFESSOR David Haslam’s career has spanned five decades and has seen him take on some of healthcare’s most high profile leadership posts. He practised as a GP in
Cambridgeshire for almost 40 years and took on the role of chair and then president of the Royal College of GPs, as well as vice chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. He was president of the British Medical Association before moving in April 2013 to his current post as chair of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). His commitment to medicine and healthcare was recognised in 2004 when he was awarded the CBE. Much of the 66-year-old’s work has been in shaping medical
education, including two years as chair of the Modernising Medical Careers Programme Board from 2007. A prolific writer, he has authored 13 books and well over a thousand articles for both the medical and mainstream press. He lives in Dorset with his wife, and has two children and three grandchildren.
What do you think NICE does well as an organisation? Te critical thing for an organisation like NICE is that people should trust us. I think we generally achieve that by being as transparent as we can be, by involving patients and the public, working with professionals and using evidence. Most people understand that in every healthcare system in the world there are limits to what it can afford and there will always be more demand than resources to pay for it. Tis is an incredibly difficult situation in an area such as health but NICE has a reputation for taking some of these issues on in a way the public and professionals can trust.
In what areas could NICE be improved? One growing problem area we have identified is patients with numerous healthcare problems. We are currently working on guidance on managing multimorbidity that will be published late 2016. We’ve already produced guidance on medicines optimisation, for people on numerous medications. For those with multiple health problems – maybe as many as eight or nine long-term conditions – it’s not just a question of adding all the different guidelines together, you have to work with patients using professional judgement and shared decision-making. Personalising care for the individual is critical.
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