Structure and Remit
The Clinical Effectiveness Group (CEG) was established jointly by the Medical Society for the Study of Venereal Diseases (MSSVD) and the Association for Genitourinary Medicine (AGUM) in October 1997.
The group is made up as follows:
- Dr Margaret Kingston (Chair)
- Dr Ade Apoola
- Dr Johnny Boylan
- Dr Amy Evans
- Dr Helen Fifer
- Dr Sarah Flew
- Ms Alison Grant
- Dr Deepa Grover
- Dr Lewis Haddow
- Dr Nicholas Medland
- Dr Michael Rayment
- Dr Cara Saxon
- Dr John Saunders
- Dr Suneeta Soni
The remit of the group is to produce and update evidence-based national guidelines and standards for UK specialists in genitourinary medicine. The first 24 such guidelines were published in the supplement to the August 1999 edition of the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. These guidelines were updated in 2002 and the revised versions initially published on the AGUM and MSSVD websites, and subsequent versions on the BASHH website. Archived BASHH guidelines are also available on the BASHH website.
The group continues to develop new guidelines and to update existing guidelines on a rolling basis.
It also produces patient information based on the guidelines.
Methodology
BASHH has been awarded accreditation from NICE for the production of CEG guidelines. This was most recently re-issued in 2021. The scheme will be ending nationally in December 2024. See https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/accreditation
The CEG commissions individuals or special interest groups to write the guidelines according to CEG specifications based on the Appraisal of Guideline Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument developed by the Royal College of Physicians (www.agreecollaboration.org). All CEG guidelines are reviewed after a maximum of 5 years; each year they are all re-read and an earlier review considered when there have been significant developments. Each guideline being developed or revised has an allocated member of CEG to support the process and ensure consistency of methodology, content and style; when the guideline is ready for wider review it is posted on the BASHH website for two months and comments requested. The CEG has ultimate editorial responsibility for the guidelines.
The full guide to our methodology (2015; updated Nov 2020) is available here.
All members of guideline writing committees are required to complete the CoI form.