Current Work Programme

This table shows SIGN's current work programme. It includes new guidelines that are in development and published guidelines that are in the process of being updated. The timescales are provisional and will be revised quarterly. The table was last updated in September 2011.

Draft versions of guidelines which are currently under development or review are only available for download from the date of the National Meeting for a period of 4 weeks. These are made available as part of the open consultation process and comments are invited from any reader.

The Guideline Programme Summary is also available as a PDFfile. (2.16M) (info).

GUIDELINES BY TOPIC
Topic	Status	Remit	Estimated publication date
Cancer
Breast cancer	Update in progress	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on antibiotics, pre-operative chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy.	Summer 2013
Cutaneous squamous cell cancer	Planned	Develop a new guideline that covers prevention, treatment and follow-up of primary and secondary cutaneous squamous cell cancer of the skin. It will be applicable in both primary and secondary care.	Autumn 2014
Epithelial ovarian cancer	Update in progress	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on intraperitoneal chemotherapy, the role of platinum agents in first-line therapy, second-line therapy or relapsed disease,	Spring 2013
Long term cancer survivors	In development	Develop a new guideline on the follow up of patients who have survived cancer and whose risk of relapse is less than their risk from side effects of treatment.	Spring 2013
Lung cancer	Update in progress	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy.	Spring 2013
Oesophageal and gastric cancer	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, palliative care.	Winter 2013
Child health
Epilepsy in children	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on treatment of epilepsy in children and self management of the condition.	Summer 2015
Rehabilitation and long term care of patients with head injury	In development	Develop a guideline that covers referral of patients from acute or primary care to specialist services, post-acute management of patients with a head injury who are in hospital, ie beyond the first 72 hours and assessment of rehabilitation needs.	Spring 2013
Dentistry
Prevention of dental caries in children	Update in progress	A selective update and combining of the existing dental caries guidelines for children.	Spring 2013
Long term conditions
Acute coronary syndromes	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on the role of ECG, PCI, timing of interventions and pharmacological therapy.	Summer 2015
Chronic non-malignant pain	In development	Develop a new guideline to improve patient management in both primary and secondary care that covers investigation, referral criteria, and pain management eg pharmacological options, specialist interventions, physical therapies; and psychological strategies.	Spring 2014
Diagnosis and management of epilepsy in adults	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on pharmacological management, psychological interventions for seizure frequency.	Autumn 2013
Rehabilitation and long term care of patients with head injury	In development	Develop a guideline that covers referral of patients from acute or primary care to specialist services, post-acute management of patients with a head injury who are in hospital, ie beyond the first 72 hours and assessment of rehabilitation needs.	Spring 2013
Mental health
Schizophrenia	Update in progress	The existing guideline will be completely updated to cover the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of schizophrenia and related psychoses (as defined by ICD-10), spanning both primary and secondary care. The guideline will cover the management of co-morbidities, in particular, substance misuse.	Winter 2012
Orthopaedics
Osteoporosis	Update in progress	The current guideline will be completely updated to incorporate the significant advances in the management of this condition, including the arrival of new treatments.	Spring 2014
Other vascular diseases
Antithrombotic therapy	Update in progress	The current guideline is being updated to include the latest evidence.	Summer 2012

Guidelines by estimated publication date
Topic	Status	Remit	Estimated publication date
2012
Antithrombotic therapy	Update in progress	The current guideline is being updated to include the latest evidence.	Summer 2012
Schizophrenia	Update in progress	The existing guideline will be completely updated to cover the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of schizophrenia and related psychoses (as defined by ICD-10), spanning both primary and secondary care. The guideline will cover the management of co-morbidities, in particular, substance misuse.	Winter 2012
2013
Breast cancer	Update in progress	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on antibiotics, pre-operative chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy.	Summer 2013
Diagnosis and management of epilepsy in adults	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on pharmacological management, psychological interventions for seizure frequency.	Autumn 2013
Epithelial ovarian cancer	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on intraperitoneal chemotherapy, the role of platinum agents in first-line therapy, second-line therapy or relapsed disease,	Spring 2013
Lung cancer	Update in progress	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy.	Spring 2013
Long term cancer survivors	In development	Develop a new guideline on the follow up of patients who have survived cancer and whose risk of relapse is less than their risk from side effects of treatment.	Spring 2013
Oesophageal and gastric cancer	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, palliative care.	Winter 2013
Prevention of dental caries in children	Update in progress	A selective update and combining of the existing dental caries guidelines for children. As above	Spring 2013
Rehabilitation and long term care of patients with head injury	In development	Develop a guideline that covers referral of patients from acute or primary care to specialist services, post-acute management of patients with a head injury who are in hospital, ie beyond the first 72 hours and assessment of rehabilitation needs.	Spring 2013
2014
Chronic non-malignant pain	Planned	Develop a new guideline to improve patient management in both primary and secondary care that covers investigation, referral criteria, and pain management eg pharmacological options, specialist interventions, physical therapies; and psychological strategies.	Spring 2014
Cutaneous squamous cell cancer	Planned	Develop a new guideline that covers prevention, treatment and follow-up of primary and secondary cutaneous squamous cell cancer of the skin. It will be applicable in both primary and secondary care.	Summer 2014
Osteoporosis	Update in progress	The current guideline will be completely updated to incorporate the significant advances in the management of this condition, including the arrival of new treatments.	Spring 2014
2015
Acute coronary syndromes	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on the role of ECG, PCI, timing of interventions and pharmacological therapy.	Summer 2015
Epilepsy in children	Update planned	The current guideline will be updated to incorporate new evidence on treatment of epilepsy in children and self management of the condition.	Summer 2015