NICE campaign

Recent surveys and anecdotal evidence highlights the poor treatment that tinnitus sufferers receive from the NHS. The main problem for GPs is not one of diagnosis. That is easy. However, the problem is that there are insufficient secondary care services: from consultants to support services. The service is inconsistent. Some GPs give basic advice and support, while others neither have the time nor the knowledge to give even that...

ATR is calling for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to offer national, consistent guidelines for identifying and dealing with tinnitus. The campaign, which is being backed by Dr Nick Palmer MP, encourages everyone to get involved: healthcare professionals, patients, carers, and the public.�

Make a big difference to tinnitus sufferers in the UK! Suggest Tinnitus as a topic to be investigated by NICE.�

Completing the NICE form

The NICE website form is easy enough to complete. It may take you ten minutes, however it is worth the effort! It asks for your name, email address, role i.e. patient, healthcare worker etc., location, and whether you are responding as an individual or organisation.

Please answer from your perspective and your own knowledge. However to help you, here are some tips to make it easier to complete the form.

The detail you need to complete:

• Topic suggestion: consistent guidelines for identifying and dealing with tinnitus
• Clinical or public health area suggestion most closely applies to?� Ear and nose
• Specific illness or condition suggestion aims to treat or prevent:� Tinnitus
• Aspect(s) of this illness/condition or behaviour suggestion focus on?� Tick the following: Investigation/assessment, Diagnosis/identification, Referral, Individual treatment, Management/pathway of care, Service delivery
• What group(s) of patients or the general public does your suggestion apply to? 10% of the UK population - across all demographics - who have tinnitus
• Where is the care associated with your suggestion given? Primary care
• Why you think there is a need for guidance on your suggestion in the NHS? Variation in prescription/practice, Inappropriate use/practice, Variation in access to treatment/care
• Other information about you that is relevant to your topic suggestion? Provide information from your persepctive, i.e. I am a tinnitus sufferer, I am a GP with tinnitus patients
• Statement on the extent and quality of the evidence base: Only complete is you have insight and information
• Data protection section: answer in terms of your own experience.

Thank you for taking the trouble to complete the form.

Completed the form? Please let us know - so that we can keep track of the numbers of forms completed. Thanks!