East Lancashire Joint Medicines Formulary & Traffic Light Database

East Lancashire Joint Medicines Formulary

and Traffic Light Database

The Joint Medicines Formulary is applicable to ALL prescribers in both primary and secondary care across the East Lancashire Health Economy

This joint formulary has been designed to make it both useful and effective.

The main features are:

º it is a s constantly evolving and dynamic document providing guidance on appropriate and cost-effective prescribing

º it contains some prescribing notes with key messages on best practice

º it aims to ensure that patients have continuity of medicines across the interface between primary care and secondary care

º it aims to help prescribers choose the most appropriate medicines whilst ensuring value for money in the use of NHS resources

Key to symbols used throughout the Joint Medicines Formulary

GREEN	Medicines which may be freely prescribed by all prescribers within local or national recommendations. Generally little or no routine drug monitoring required.
GREEN [restricted]	Appropriate for initiation and ongoing prescribing in primary and secondary care provided: > additional criteria specific to to the medicine or device are met, or > The medicines or device is used following the failure of other therapies as defined by the relevant ELMMB pathway. Generally, little or no routine drug monitoring is required.
AMBER	Medicines which should only be initiated/recommended by specialists but which may then be passed to primary care prescribers for prescribing
AMBER WITH SHARED CARE	These are still AMBER medicines which should only be initiated in secondary care, but which may be passed to primary care prescribers for prescribing provided the terms of a locally agreed shared care protocol (where available) are met.
RED	Medicines which should only be used within the secondary care setting. Primary care prescribers should not be asked to prescribe.
BLACK	These are medicines that have been reviewed and have been deemed less suitable for prescribing, and are therefore not recommended in primary or secondary care. This may be due to the lack of good clinical evidence, or due to the availability of more suitable alternatives.