Table 1 The four conditions of 'accountability for reasonableness'

Relevance

Rationales for priority setting decisions must rest on reasons (evidence and principles) that 'fair-minded' people can agree are relevant in the context. 'Fair-minded people seek to cooperate according to terms they can justify to each other – this narrows, though does not eliminate, the scope of controversy, which is further narrowed by specifying that reasons must be relevant to the specific priority setting context.

Publicity

Priority setting decisions and their rationales must be publicly accessible.

Revision/Appeals

There must be a mechanism for challenge, including the opportunity for revising decisions in light of considerations that stakeholders may raise.

Enforcement

There is either voluntary or public regulation of the process to ensure that the first three conditions are met.