<p class="a"><strong>Background:</strong> In the United Kingdom patient experience is being established as a key determinant in informing commissioning decisions and in shaping healthcare delivery. This led to the publication of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on patient experience in adult National Health Service (NHS) services: improving the experience of care for people using adult NHS services (CG138) in February 2012.</p> <p class="a"><strong>Purpose:</strong> To develop guidance and a quality standard for NICE on patient experience in adult NHS services.</p> <p class="a"><strong>Methods:</strong> Guidance development by a multidisciplinary group using multiple evidence sources, distilled into five key themes of patient experience.</p> <p class="a"><strong>Results:</strong> Guidance including sixty recommendations, and a quality standard, developed from the synthesis of multiple sources of information.</p> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> This guidance has international applicability particularly in Canada.