Audit Commission and NICE invest to boost profile

This week, the commission advertised for a newly created board-level post of director of communications at a salary of up to£90,000. Meanwhile, NICE is investing£150,000 to review the way it communicates and disseminates information.

The advertisement for the commission post comes as the NHS Reform Bill - which would force the commission to defer to the Commission for Health Improvement before embarking on inspection programmes - goes to the Commons standing committee.

In the advertisement, the commission says 'the challenge for you is to win us the profile we merit', and the successful candidate will have 'the scope to exercise real influence in an influential organisation'. The commission created the post following a review of its communication function.

Following that review, Citigate Westminster lost the PR contract, and in September the commission created a partnership between an in-house team and Edelman Public Relations.

NICE's£150,000 investment will be used to approach over 1,000 stakeholders as part of an exercise with Citigate Westminster, to find ways to disseminate an increasing volume of guidance, and play a more proactive media role.

The dissemination review, due to be published in April, will look at ways of handling the volume of information when guidance comes out at the rate of one piece a week, in a context of 'increasing financial pressure that will be exerted as [NICE's] work reaches maturity'.

A review of internal and external communications will run in parallel to examine stakeholders' understanding of NICE and 'find ways to fill in the gaps and for us to take a more proactive approach', a spokesperson said.

The health select committee has announced that it is to undertake an inquiry into the progress NICE is making in achieving its key goals.