What we do
At ELHT we aim to bring safe, personal and effective care, whether a patient is being treated on-site or at home. The homecare service helps organise the provision, delivery and administration of medications for treatment within a patient’s home. We have a dedicated Homecare team, acting under the guidelines set out by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. We have a team of 3 pharmacists, 4 pharmacy technicians and 2 clerical staff. We currently have in excess of 3000 patients under the care of specialities such as Rheumatology, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Respiratory, Medicines for Older People, Endocrinology and Cardiology. We also provide an outpatient parenteral antimicrobial service to allow for the administration of long-term antibiotics at home.
Medications are provided by third parties who are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). We regularly communicate and monitor the service providers to ensure a safe and effective service is consistently delivered for our patients.
Patients remain under the close care of the Trust, with the focus on improving clinical outcomes and enhancing the patient experience.
Who is eligible?
The service is aimed at patients with chronic diseases who are stable on a treatment regime that can be provided under a contracted service agreement. Compliance and communication are key to a successful therapy and therefore patients must be contactable and available. All patients are required to sign a consent form for this service, and this can be found in the related documents section of this webpage.
How does it work
Prescriptions are generated from the specialist clinical teams (e.g. consultants and specialist nurses) and then sent to the Trust pharmacy homecare team. The homecare team clinically checks the prescription and then sends it to the relevant homecare provider. The home care provider will then contact you to arrange a delivery at a time convenient for you.
Who we are
Victoria Simpson – Homecare Lead and Rheumatology Specialist Pharmacist
Zahra Patel – Homecare and Rheumatology Specialist Pharmacist
Kit Patel – Homecare and Gastroenterology Specialist Pharmacist
Rachel Beales – Specialist Technician Homecare and Procurement
Andrea Dewhurst – Senior Homecare Pharmacy technician
Alison Howson – Senior Homecare Pharmacy technician
Rehana Gorji – Homecare Pharmacy technician
Tracey Kinley – Homecare Pharmacy technician
Emma Brown – Senior Homecare Clerical and Administrative Officer
Shahraan Khan – Homecare Clerical and Administrative Officer
General enquiries
We are open Monday to Friday 9:00 to 16:00 and can be contacted via:
Telephone: 01254 732572
or
E-mail: elht.pharmacyhomecare@nhs.net
Confidentiality
The home care provider is bound by the same rules as NHS staff in terms of the information they have access to (The Data Protection Act 2018).
You will be asked to agree, either in writing or verbally, that you are prepared for a home care provider to hold information about you and your medical condition. The home care provider will only contact you to arrange delivery and will only discuss your treatment with yourself or a member of the hospital team.
You will find all the information about how your personal information will be managed in our privacy notice which can be found here:
https://www.elht.nhs.uk/about-us/data-protection-confidentiality-and-fair-processing
Alternatively you can request a paper copy from a Trust member of staff.
What if I have a problem?
The patient care coordinator at the homecare provider will usually be able to help with delivery problems. If you need medical assistance always get in touch with your clinical team at the hospital.
If you feel your problem has not been handled well you have the right to make a complaint. Please attempt to resolve any complaints with your home care provider and your NHS pharmacy homecare team.
Details of the NHS complaints procedure are available from the hospital and online at:
https://www.elht.nhs.uk/about-us/comments-concerns-and-compliments