Selection of themes for the Council’s recommendations

Recognising themes that require definition and preparing definitions for decision-making in the Council are the key tasks of the Council’s divisions. In addition to the divisions, individual Council members and deputy members may also propose themes for the Council. Themes may also be proposed by other stakeholders.

After receiving a proposal for a theme, the Council decides whether or not it should be taken further. In other words, the Council does not automatically begin preparing recommendations on all themes proposed to it.

When selecting themes, the Council pays attention to the following aspects:

• Variation in clinical practices
• Incidence of the health issue
• Seriousness of the health issue
• Adverse effects of the health technology
• Financial impacts
• Ethical questions (need for discussion on values, particularly vulnerable patient groups, equality issues, a strong marketing drive of a technology)