Formulary & Prescribing Guidelines – Mental Health

The Trust’s Formulary and Prescribing Guidelines relate to those medicines used for the treatment of mental health conditions and learning disabilities. Patients who are admitted for treatment of a mental health condition and who also require medicines for the treatment of physical health condition will usually continue to receive the treatment they were previously being prescribed unless there are clinical reasons why this needs to be changed.

The Trust’s Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Medicines Management Committee aids prescribers by evaluating the evidence for new and existing drugs, and making recommendations on therapy based on clinical and cost-effectiveness grounds. Where appropriate, restrictions on the use of particular drugs may be recommended. The Formulary and Prescribing Guidelines contains information on those drugs approved for use within the mental health services of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, together with supporting information to aid clinical decision making.

The formulary is not intended to supersede positive NICE Technology Appraisals (TAs). Most NICE TA approved drugs will not be appropriate for initiation within mental health services and so not all will be specifically mentioned. Clinicians can and should prescribe medicines, for the treatment of a mental health condition, approved within a NICE TA where patients meet the clinical criteria set out in the guidance and it is the most appropriate treatment option in the clinical judgement of the treating clinician.

Formulary Listing (August 2023)

Introduction (including agreed off-label usage (updated June 2024)

Section 1 – Treatment of Depression (updated November 2023)
Section 2 – Treatment of Psychosis (updated February 2024)
Section 3 – Management of Bipolar Affective Disorder (updated June 2024)
Section 4 – Management of Anxiety (updated May 2024)
Section 5 – Treatment of Insomnia (updated September 2024)
Section 6 – Treatment of ADHD (updated February 2020)
Section 7 – Management of Dementia (updated Dec 2018)
Section 8 – Acutely disturbed behaviour (updated November 2023)
Section 9 – Treatment of Movement Disorders (updated Nov 2017)
Section 10 – Management of Alcohol, Opioid and Benzodiazepine Dependence (updated June 2024)
Section 11 – Drug Use in Older Adults(updated May 2022)
Section 12 – Drug Use in Children & Adolescents (updated December 2021)
Section 13 – Drug use in Learning Disabilities (updated June 2020)
Section 14 – Anticoagulants (updated October 2021)
Section 15 – Treatment of Eating Disorders (updated March 2021)
Section 16 – Treatment of Anaphylaxis (updated May 2024)
Section 17 – Nicotine Replacement Therapy (updated May 2022)
Section 18 – Antimicrobial Prescribing (updated May 2024)
Section 19 – Treatment of Hypoglycaemia and Hyperglycaemia  (updated August 2023)
Section 20 – Prescribing in Pregnancy (updated October 2023) 
Section 21 – High Risk Medicines (updated May 2021)
Section 22 - Treatment of Hyperprolactinaemia (Sep 2021)
Section 23 - Management of Vitamin D Deficiency (updated May 2024)
Section 24 - Electroconvulsive Therapy (updated June 2024)

Protocol for supply of Nicotine Inhalator on admission (updated October 2017)
Protocol for the administration of Paracetamol (new September 2017)
Protocol for the administration of Peptac (new September 2017)
Protocol for the administration of Senna (new September 2017)

Shared Care Protocol – Lithium (updated August 2024)

Shared Care Protocol –  Treatment of ADHD

Shared Care Protocol – Alzheimers Disease

CPG1-MH – Norfolk & Suffolk SAS local policy on managing high-risk medicines