The National Advisory Committee (NAC) is the lead committee for advising on prioritisation and topic selection for work carried out as part of the national confidential enquiries into maternal and child health. The role of the NAC is to ensure that there is a mechanism for the range of key stakeholders to express an authoritative view of the priorities which the enquiry programme needs to address, of which topic selection is an important aspect.
The NAC is chaired by Professor Ian Greer. It includes representatives from the 8 Royal Colleges closest to the national confidential enquiry work, each UK health department, the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) as principal funding body, and a lay representative. The Royal Colleges are as follows:-
The NPSA is the lead commissioner for the programme, with the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) being its current provider. Both the NPSA and CMACE need to ensure (a) that the way in which funding for the national enquiry programme is invested reflects the priorities of the stakeholders in the work and (b) that the topic selection process is thorough and objective.
In respect of topic selection; the short list and recommended topic agreed by NAC will be presented to the CMACE board for it to consider. Provided the Board of Trustees confirms the decision of NAC, it will be reported to the NPSA prior to the development of a formal business case for the project. |