National Prescribing Guidance
Published on: 1st February 2022 | Updated on: 7th August 2025
| Guidelines | Information | Links |
| National Prescribing Indicators
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The National Prescribing Indicators for 2025–2028 is now available on the AWTTC website. The document was developed through multi-profession discussion and national consultation via the All Wales Prescribing Advisory Group (AWPAG), with support from the All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC).
The National Prescribing Indicators document provides detailed background information and evidence to support the aims of each indicator. In addition to the main NPI document, a concise summary of the NPIs has also been published, entitled Supporting Information for Prescribers and Healthcare Professionals. The document contains a brief overview of each NPI, including purpose, units of measure, brief rationale and prescribing points, and links to useful resources. |
English / Welsh
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| Primary Care Antimicrobial Guidelines | This update includes the addition of a new monograph for the ‘Treatment of COVID-19’. Antiviral treatments for COVID-19 are now routinely available, with eligible patients being able to contact their GP practice or out-of-hours service if they test positive for COVID-19, to be clinically assessed for prescription of anti-viral medication. The new monograph provides guidance on the use of antiviral and monoclonal antibody treatments in adults who are at increased risk of progression to severe COVID-19.
The update also includes minor updates made to the following monographs:
Further information is detailed in the ‘Updates’ section of the document. |
English / Welsh |
| Maximising the opportunity presented by biosimilar medicines | A national strategy for Wales’ document is available on the AWTTC website. The strategy sets out the steps the NHS and its partners in Wales will take to support the conditions needed to create a strong, competitive biological and biosimilar medicines’ market in the UK benefiting the NHS, patients and the economy of Wales. The following links will take you to the webpage where you can find out more about this strategy: |
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| COPD Guideline | An updated version of All Wales COPD management and prescribing guideline, first endorsed by AWMSG in 2019, is now available. The guideline aims to reduce variation in inhaler prescribing in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The document includes details of changes made during this update on the cover sheet. | |
| The All Wales Adult Asthma Management and Prescribing Guideline | This guideline aims to reduce variation in inhaler prescribing in the management of adult asthma and encourage consideration of the decarbonisation agenda of NHS Wales. The guidance has been updated in 2025 to align with published NICE asthma guideline (NG254) (November 2024), with a revised treatment algorithm representing the current best practice. |
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| Prescribing Dilemmas | The AWMSG-endorsed Prescribing Dilemmas: A Guide for Prescribers document has been updated on the AWTTC website.
A new section entitled ‘Sharing responsibility for prescribing between a private clinician and an NHS prescriber’ has been added, and additional minor updates have been made throughout the document. |
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| Medicines optimisation framework | This framework details the processes behind the development of medicines optimisation resources that are endorsed and published by AWMSG, describes how new projects can be proposed and explains how these proposals are considered. | |
| All Wales Multidisciplinary Reconciliation Policy | The All Wales Multidisciplinary Medicines Reconciliation Policy document has been developed to provide healthcare professionals with information to promote the safe and timely completion of medicines reconciliation and provides guidance on completing the process. | |
| Medicines Identified as Low Priority for Funding in NHS Wales | The Medicines Identified as Low Priority for Funding in NHS Wales document has been developed to provide healthcare professionals with information to minimise the prescribing of medicines that offer a limited clinical benefit to patients and where more cost effective treatments may be available. Five medicines have been identified for the purposes of this document: co-proxamol, lidocaine plasters, tadalafil once daily preparations, liothyronine and doxazosin modified release tablets. A guidance document has been prepared by the NHS Wales Pharmacy Directors with support from the All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC), and has been endorsed by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) at their October 2017 meeting. | |
| Back Up Antibiotic Prescribing | Following endorsement by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) in September 2024, the Back-up antibiotic prescribing: Good practice guide is now available on the AWTTC website. The document was developed through multi-profession discussion and national consultation via the All Wales Prescribing Advisory Group (AWPAG), with support from the All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC).
The aim of this guidance is to encourage more consistent implementation of a back-up prescribing strategy by all healthcare professionals in primary care. It is hoped that implementation of this guide will reduce unnecessary exposure to antimicrobials. |
The link below will take you to the webpage where you can find out more about this resource:
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