Terms of Reference

The Panel's terms of reference are:

"To assist all those bodies responsible for the provision and delivery of healthcare to decide on the most appropriate action to take to handle incidents involving potential transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and variant CJD (vCJD) between patients through clinical interventions, including via surgical instruments, tissues, organs and blood and to keep the relevant devolved administrations informed.

"To consider what information should be collected on patients who may have been exposed; advise on what studies or follow-up may be needed; advise Directors of Public Health on patient tracing and notification exercises where these are indicated; and advise on whether any other measures are needed to protect the wider public health.

"To make regular reports to the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens Working Group on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE Working Group)."

"To keep the expert guidance under review and make recommendations to the TSE Working Group for further guidelines as necessary, in the light of experience of incidents and research in progress."

Last reviewed: 20 January 2009