Area Prescribing Groups (APG)

Area Prescribing Groups are a vital, strategic pillar for NHS commissioners and provider organisations. They deliver cost-effective and evidence-based prescribing across the local health economy, updating medication pathways to support continuous improvement of patient outcomes.

NHS MLCSU have vast experience, technical expertise, and a proven record of providing bespoke APG support for Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Medicines Optimisation Committee (BSOL IMOC), the Black Country Integrated Medicines Optimisation Group (BC IMOG), the Pan Mersey APC, and the Lancashire and South Cumbria Medicines Management Group (LSCMMG).

Read a case study on the benefits of our APG service in our publication section.

Those involved with Integrated Care Systems (ICS) will be developing their governance approaches to ensure that there is strategic medicines oversight. This presents opportunities to review APGs or their redesign to include areas such as workforce, digital or wider agendas that are not always part of current APGs.

We have a range of documentation that we have supported local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) develop that may be useful for review of APGs. 

We are committed to sharing best practice. Click on Implementation Tools to access free documents, in the Publications section, providing advice for governing a successful APG, including:

• • APG Policy
  • Terms of Reference
  • Co-chairs appointment process
  • Decline to prescribe form
  • Decision Support Tool
  • Prescribing analytics (subscription only).