National Prescribing Indicators 2022-2025

National prescribing indicators show how the different health boards in Wales prescribe certain medicines, and highlight any differences in prescribing patterns.

The World Health Organization defines rational prescribing as making sure that patients receive the right medicines for them, at the right doses and for the right length of time, and at the lowest cost to patients and their community.

National prescribing indicators are developed to promote rational prescribing of medicines in Wales. The choice of indicators is evidence-based and the indicators are designed to be clear and easily understood by prescribers and healthcare professionals.

The indicators allow health boards, primary care clusters, GP practices and prescribers to compare their current prescribing practice against an agreed standard of quality.

For 2022-2025, the National Prescribing Indicators: Supporting Safe and Optimised Prescribing focus on the following priority areas:

• Analgesics (including opioids, tramadol, and gabapentin and pregabalin)
• Anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation
• Antimicrobial stewardship (including total antibacterial items and the ‘4C antimicrobials’: co-amoxiclav, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and clindamycin)
• Decarbonisation of inhalers

These four priority areas were supported by additional indicators:

• Safety
  • Prescribing safety indicators
  • Hypnotics and anxiolytics
  • Yellow Cards
• Efficiency
  • Best value biological medicines
  • Low value for prescribing

(Published January 2022 - Updated August 2024)

Associated resources:

(Published July 2024)

(Published February 2022 - Updated August 2024)

(Published January 2022)