The four Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees for England make recommendations, pursue actions, and co-ordinate activities related to any aspect of Medicines Optimisation. There is a committee for each former NHS England region which brings together decision makers and clinicians across each geography.

Although there are four committees, the RMOCs operate against a single framework, with each group being part of a greater national system. Their role and function has been co-developed by NHS England and NHS Clinical Commissioners on behalf of Clinical Commissioning Groups, in partnership with NHS hospital representatives, primary care providers, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS Improvement and representative bodies of the branded and generics pharmaceutical industry.

Overall governance for each RMOC is provided through the Medicines Optimisation Oversight Group (MOOG). Generation of the work programme and national priority setting is provided through the Medicines Optimisation Priorities Panel (MOPP). Both the MOOG and the MOPP are chaired by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, Dr Keith Ridge.

How do RMOCs operate?

The RMOCs consider topics, issue recommendations, and co-ordinate actions against a national programme of work. The RMOC work-programme is developed with reference to priorities such as those determined by the Medicines Value Programme and through horizon scanning for new medicines. In addition, the RMOCs consider medicines optimisation topics suggested by patients, practitioners and teams from across the NHS.

More detail about how the RMOCs’ work is also available in the operating model, which is published here.

There are six phases of the RMOC Operational Process:

1. Topic identification – Potential topics for consideration by RMOCs are identified through routine horizon-scanning by the Specialist Pharmacy Service and by consultation with NHS commissioners, providers and area prescribing committees.
2. Topic prioritisation – The preliminary list of medicines optimisation topics is considered by the MOPP. The panel uses agreed criteria to prioritise topics for consideration by the RMOCs in consultation with stakeholders including commissioners and providers.
3. Evidence-gathering – the RMOC co-ordinating hub commissions the gathering of any evidence that is required to help RMOCs to make their recommendations. The RMOC co-ordinating hub also converts the priorities list into the RMOC work programme and allocates topics and schedules the work to the four RMOCs.
4. Review of evidence and recommendations – Each RMOC considers the evidence for the topics that have been allocated to them according to agreed principles and makes a recommendation.
5. Dissemination and implementation – The RMOC co-ordinating hub publishes and disseminates the recommendations to stakeholders for local decision-making and implementation. The key audiences will by local Area Prescribing Committees and Drug and Therapeutic Committees.
6. Monitoring and learning – The Medicines Optimisation Oversight Group will regularly review delivery of the work programme, including evaluating the impact of RMOC recommendations and implementation and feedback into the prioritisation process.

Further information

The Specialist Pharmacy Service website contains a page through which patients, practitioners and teams can submit ideas for RMOCs to consider. The website also contains RMOC membership lists, agendas, meeting dates and minutes.