Brighton Joint Formulary

This section is provided for health professionals (GPs, dentists, pharmacists etc).

Members of the general public are welcome to use these pages but should be aware that they are not written with them in mind. Please choose an option on the left for information aimed at the general public.

The joint formulary is published in BNF chapters. It comprises a list of drugs recommended in each section. Each drug is categorised to facilitate prescribing choice.

The prescriber should always ensure they have the expertise to prescribe an agent before making the selection. In its guidelines on responsibility for prescribing between hospitals and general practitioners, the Department of Health has advised that legal responsibility for prescribing lies with the doctor who signs the prescription.

First line drugs (Green)- These drugs are recommended as first line agents and may be initiated in both primary and secondary care.

Second line drugs (Blue)- These drugs are included as alternatives and may be initiated in both primary and secondary care. Some blue drugs require an information sheet to be sent to the GP when care is transferred. This will be clearly indicated when needed.

Specialist drugs (Orange)- These are drugs where the need for specialist input has been identified. A specialist is not necessarily a consultant, rather a practitioner with specialist skills e.g. Specialist Registrar, GP with Specialist Interest, Community Psychiatric Nurse, Tissue Viability Nurse.

Drugs will have “orange” status when:

• A specialist starts or recommends one of these drugs
• A drug is part of an agreed shared care arrangement. These are also called ‘amber’ drugs. These will normally be initiated and stabilised in secondary care, then transferred to primary care with the GP’s agreement. This transfer is facilitated by the ESCA (effective shared care agreement). A link to the ESCA will be clearly indicated when needed.

Hospital only drugs (Red)- These drugs will only be prescribed within secondary care.