Formularies and Guidelines

Welcome to the 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.

Analgesics

• Acute Pain Ladder – November 2017
• Chronic Pain Ladder – November 2017
• Neuropathic Pain Ladder – November 2017
• Opioid Tapering Resource Pack – March 2018
• Fentanyl Patches Tapering Guidance – March 2018
• Opioid Equivalence, Risks and Recommendations – March 2018
• Acute Pain Self Help and Advice – November 2017
• Condition Specific Advice on Use of Adjuvants
• Lidocaine Plasters – April 2017
• NSAIDS – achieving appropriate prescribing
• Tapentadol SR proforma for initiation
• Non-pharmacological resources
  • West Suffolk Pain Management Service: Non-Pharmacological Services – June 2018
  • Persistent Pain: Supporting Self-Management – Clinician’s Quick Guide – November 2017
  • Patient Handout: Resources worth exploring to manage pain well
  • Patient Handout: 10 Footsteps – Your Journey to Living Well with Pain

Respiratory

• Asthma Prescribing Guidelines (adults) – Inhaler device cost comparator– March 2016
• Pharmacologic Management of COPD in Adults – Quick Summary – March 2017
• How to use inhaler leaflets
  • Breezhaler inhaler
  • Easyhaler inhaler
  • Genuair inhaler
  • Metered dose inhaler
  • Spiromax inhaler
  • NEXThaler inhaler
  • Metered dose inhaler with small volume spacer device
  • Metered dose inhaler with large volume spacer device
  • Respimat inhaler
  • Zonda inhaler
• How to use inhaler videos – watch here

Diabetes and Endocrine

• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Adult Treatment Pathway – March 16
• Primary Care Guidelines on the frequency of blood glucose self-monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus not controlled by insulin – October 2013
• Blood Gloucose Meters and Testing Strips
  • Policy on Blood Glucose Meters and Blood Glucose Testing Strips for adults aged 19 and older – July 2016
  • Blood Glucose Testing Strips COSTING MORE THAN £10 per 50 strips – July 2016
  • Contact Details for Manufacturers of Blood Glucose Meters and Blood Glucose Testing Strips
• Needles for Insulin Devices
  • WSCCG Policy on Needles for Insulin Devices – January 2018
  • Expensive needles – January 2018
• Lancets
  • WSCCG Policy on Lancets – January 2018
  • Expensive lancets – January 2018
• Flash Glucose Monitoring
  • Prescribing Policy for Supply of FreeStyle Libre® and other Flash Glucose Monitoring Systems on NHS Prescription – October 2017
  • The East of England Priorities Advisory Committee Guidance Statement on FreeStyle Libre® – September 2017
• Liothyronine Prescribing Policy – February 2018

Antibiotics

• Antibiotic Formulary – Autumn 2017-Autumn 2019
  • 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

Care Homes

• Homely Remedies Policy 2017-19
• Flowchart for diagnosis of UTI in care homes
• Record of symptoms and management of UTI in care homes
• NICE-endorsed training
• Prescqipp training
• Support for self care – no prescription required record sheet

Holiday Medicines

• Travel Vaccines and Malaria Prophylaxis
• 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

• 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 – April 2018
• Simple Switches: Leg bags and night bags – March 2018
• Changes to your oral contraceptives A3 Poster – April 2018

Further Policies and Guidelines

• Anticoagulants: guideline on the management of adult patients treated with Warfarin, Phenindione and Acenocoumarol
• 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
• Erectile Dysfunction type 5 inhibitors – September 2014
• Optimising safe and appropriate medicines use
• Pharmacological treatments for management of urinary incontinence in women – June 2014
• Health Visitor Formulary– April 2017
• Prescribing Guideline for the Management of Dry Eye – December 2015
• Treatment of constipation in adults
• Pathway for Adult Vitamin D Deficiency– November 2016
• Policy on 7 day prescribing– April 2017
• Prescribing Interval – Guidance for Patients
• Errors with eye drops for glaucoma