Welcome to the Formularies, Policies and Guidelines section of the website. In this section you will find information on prescribing through guidelines, pathways, checklists, local formularies and letters on a number of medical conditions.
Contents
- Covid-19
- Pain and Analgesics
- Respiratory
- Diabetes and Endocrine
- Antibiotics
- Care Homes
- Holiday Medicines
- Mental Health
- Brands, Generics and Simple Switches
- Further Policies and Guidelines
COVID-19
Guidance
- Suffolk Pandemic Home Visiting Service: Remote & Direct Patient Contact – May 2020
- Shared Care Drugs – Interim Position Statement on Monitoring During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Implementation Guidance for Reviewing Switching of Patients from Warfarin to a Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC) during the coronavirus pandemic – June 2020
- Covid-19: Guide for Alternative Inhalers Prescribing -April 2020
- Self-Care During COVID-19: Guidance for patients looking after their wound at home (Printable)
- Self-Care During COVID-19: Guidance for patients looking after their wound at home (Editable)
Newsletters
- Medicines Management Newsletter – No. 2 – 30/03/2020
- Medicines Management Newsletter – No. 1 – 19/03/2020
Pain and Analgesics
Pain Assessment Tools
- Abbey Pain Scale
- DN4 Neuropathic Pain Assessment
- Pain Assessment and Documentation Tool (PADT)
- Pain Scales in Multiple Languages
Prescribing Guidance
- Acute Pain Ladder – March 2020
- Chronic Pain Ladder – March 2020
- Neuropathic Pain Ladder – March 2020
- Adjuvant pharmacological agents – Condition Specific Advice – March 2020
- Opioid Prescribing for Acute Pain: Key Recommendations – March 2020
- Pain in Wound Assessment and Management – March 2020
Deprescribing Guidance
- Fentanyl Patches Tapering Guidance – March 2018
- Lidocaine 5% Medicated Plasters: Guidance for Non-Cancer Pain in Adults – May 2019
- Opioid Equivalence Risks and Recommendations – March 2018
- Opioid Tapering Resource Pack – March 2020
- Pregabalin and Gabapentin Withdrawal Summary Guidance – March 2020
Patient Information
- Driving and Pain
- Gabapentinoid Reduction
- Lidocaine 5% Medicated Plasters
- Opioids Aware: Taking Opioids For Pain
- Opioid Safety Messages
- Opioid Medicines and The Risk of Addiction, MHRA – September 2020
Non-pharmacological Resources and Leaflets to Support Self-management
Website
Leaflets
- Explaining Pain
- Resources Worth Exploring to Manage Pain Well
- Ten Footsteps. Your Journey to Living Well With Pain
- Sleep Well with Pain
- Using Medicines for Persistent Pain Questionnaire
- Non pharmacological strategies
National Guidance/Key Resources
- What to do when a patient is unfit to drive – Summary Guidance
- Gabapentinoid Prescribing for Chronic Pain in Primary Care – Resources for Clinicians and Boards
- Live Well With Pain
- Opioids Aware
West Suffolk Integrated Pain Management Service: How to make a referral
Respiratory
- Pharmacological Management of COPD in Adults: Quick Summary – March 2017
- Pharmacological Management of Asthma 12 Years and over: Quick Summary – January 2020
- Pharmacological Management of Asthma in Children under 12 Years: Quick Summary – January 2020
- COVID-19: Guide for Alternative Inhalers Prescribing – April 2020
- How to use inhaler leaflets
- How to use inhaler videos – watch here
Diabetes and Endocrine
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Adult Treatment Pathway – November 2019
- Primary Care Guidelines on the frequency of blood glucose self-monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus not controlled by insulin – October 2021
- Blood Glucose Meters (BGMs) and Testing Strips (BGTS)
- Flash Glucose Monitoring (FGM)
- FGM-FreeStyle Libre®: Prescribing Policy – February 2021
- FGM-FreeStyle Libre®: Patient Information Leaflet – April 2019
- FGM-FreeStyle Libre 3: Position Statement – May 2022
- Insulin – Management of:
- Monthly Quantities – Information for Prescribers: Cartridges, Pens – disposable and refill, Vials – October 2021, PrescQIPP
- Monthly Quantities – Information for Prescription Clerks: Cartridges, Pens – disposable and refill, Vials – October 2021, PrescQIPP
- Lancets
- WSCCG Policy on Lancets – November 2018
- Expensive Lancets – November 2018
- Needles for Insulin Devices
- WSCCG Policy on Needles for Insulin Devices – November 2018
- Expensive Needles – November 2018
- Alogliptin switch procedure – June 2019
- Liothyronine Prescribing Policy – February 2018
Antibiotics
- Suffolk and North East Essex Primary Care and A&E Antimicrobial Formulary – April 2020
- Suffolk and North East Essex Primary Care and A&E Antimicrobial Formulary: Quick Reference – April 2020
- The TARGET Antibiotics Toolkit
- The ‘Treating your infection – Respiratory Tract Infection’ leaflet
- The ‘Treating your infection – Urinary Tract Infection’ leaflet
- The ‘When Should I Worry?’ booklet for parents and carers
- The ‘Caring for children with coughs’ leaflet
- The ‘Get Well Soon Without Antibiotics’ leaflet
- The ‘Think Pharmacist’ leaflet
- Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) patient information leaflet
- Advice for those affected by MRSA outside of hospital
- How to apply decolonising treatment
- Trimethoprim and Methotrexate: Do not co-prescribe
- Antimicrobial Newsletter, 7th Edition – April 2022
- WSCCG Antimicrobial Stewardship Data Reporting – up to February 2022, added May 2022
Care Homes
- Homely Remedies and Self-Care Toolkit – October 2021
- Flowchart for diagnosis of UTI in care homes
- Record of symptoms and management of UTI in care homes
- NICE-endorsed training
- PrescQIPP training
- Purple Book section 1: Main document
- Purple Book section 2 : Medicines
- Purple Book section 3: Protocols
Holiday Medicines
- Travel vaccines, malaria prophylaxis and medication for the purpose of travel, including anticipatory medicines – Prescribing guidance – July 2021
- Can my GP prescribe extra medication to cover my holiday?
- Can I take my medicine abroad?
- Memo: Vaccine Prescribing for Healthcare and Laboratory Staff and FP34D
Mental Health
- Stopping Antidepressants: Quick Reference Guide – September 2020
- Stopping Hypnotics and Anxiolytics: Quick Reference Guide – September 2020
- Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust NSFT Formulary
- Antipsychotic use and withdrawal for people with Dementia
- Nalmefene Initiation Pathway for Reducing Alcohol Consumption
- Guidance on Appropriate and Cost-effective Prescribing of Short Acting Hypnotics
Brands, Generics and Simple Switches
- Generic Medicines Prescribing Policy
- Simple Switches – Updated August 2021
- Summary and Changes
- Brand to Brand
- Brand to Generic
- Catheters Female
- Catheters Male
- Catheter Leg & Night Bags – Coming Soon
- Continence & Stoma Appliances – Barrier products
- Continence & Stoma Appliances – Remover products
- Controlled Drugs
- Controlled Drug Dose Optimisations
- Diabetic Needles – Coming Soon
- Dose and/ or Quantity Optimisations
- Eye Care
- Formulation Changes
- Generic to Brand
- Generic to Generic
- Oral Hormonal Contraceptives
- Skin Care
- Specials
Further Policies and Guidelines
- Edoxaban Switch Position Statement – May 2022
- Inclisiran Position Statement – updated April 2022
- Bisphosphonate length of treatment guidelines – October 2014
- Compression stockings
- Dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban, the new oral anticoagulants (NOACS), for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation
- Dental
- Dental medicines prescribing policy – January 2021
- Erectile Dysfunction type 5 inhibitors – September 2014
- Optimising safe and appropriate medicines use
- Female Urinary Incontinence Pathway – December 2019
- Health Visitor Formulary– October 2021
- Metolazone
- Metolazone for adults – Briefing sheet for primary care – November 2020
- Prescribing Guideline for the Management of Dry Eye – December 2015
- Treatment of constipation in adults
- Pathway for Adult Vitamin D Deficiency– November 2016
- Phenylketonuria
- Primary Care Pathway for the Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency in Paediatric Patients (0-17 years) with eGFR≥30ml/min – November 2020
- Prescribing intervals position statement – July 2021
- Prescribing Interval – Guidance for Patients
- Unlicensed Medicines (Specials)
- Decision guide for reviewing a patient on an unlicensed medicine – January 2021
- Specials patient information leaflet – February 2021
- Vitamin B12
- Guideline for the management of Vitamin B12 deficiency (in adults) – November 2020
- Vitamin B12 deficiency – Patient factsheet – January 2021
- Flowchart for reviewing patients on Vitamin B12 injections – November 2020
- Vitamin B12 deficiency – Template letter for patients who have been reviewed to trial stopping Vitamin B12 injections – January 2021
- Errors with eye drops for glaucoma