Useful documents

The homecare providers we use are private companies who are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to provide medicines and medical treatments. When you register for the homecare service you will receive a welcome pack from the homecare provider explaining who they are and what they do.

Occasionally you may be notified of a change in homecare service provider. The alternative company will be trusted and registered to dispense and deliver a homecare medicines service.

A homecare medicines service offers convenience and more control over your medicines supply.

Delivery can be scheduled around your normal life. Repeat prescriptions will be automatically requested by the homecare provider to your clinician meaning you should always have enough.

Your medicines will be sent directly to you at your home (or a place you find convenient) at regular intervals. 

It is important that you still attend your regular hospital appointments to ensure the doctors can monitor your health. Not attending your appointments could lead to your medicine deliveries being interrupted.

A homecare medicines service is considered by the NHS to be a safe and convenient method of

supplying your medicines. You should be aware of the small risk that your medicines don’t reach you in time, leading to a missed dose. To minimise this risk your deliveries will be carefully managed and scheduled. You can further reduce this risk by:

• Monitoring how much medicine you have
• Contacting the Homecare provider when running out of medicine
• Being available for delivery at the times you agree with the provider

Please see the 'Who to contact?' further down this page.

• You must continue to attend for blood tests and routine clinic appointments
• You must be contactable, typically by telephone, to arrange deliveries
• You, or your agreed signatory, must be available to receive your medicines at the time and location agreed.

Your clinician may withdraw you from the service if you are unable to meet these requirements.​​​​

Options vary depending on the type of treatment.  You may be able to choose from:

• Van delivery to your home*
• Van delivery to your place of work or a named friend or relative’s address*
• Royal Mail Special Delivery

*The van will be unmarked. Your medicines will always need to be signed for by yourself, or another named signatory (must be aged 16 or over).

 *This is a free service, and you will never be asked to pay for the delivery of your medication, or to provide any bank details.

Your medicines can be delivered to an alternative address in the UK. There are restrictions and you will need to give two weeks notice.

Medicines cannot be delivered outside the UK. If you are travelling abroad and need extra medicines, please give the hospital clinical team and the homecare company four weeks notice to arrange. The NHS will provide a maximum of three months of medications for those travelling abroad.

Your homecare provider will be able to supply a patient travel letter for you to be able to take your medication abroad.

It is very important that you store your medicines correctly. All medicines should be stored out of sight and reach of young children.

Medicines which need to be stored in a fridge:

You should make sure the fridge is in good working order before your first delivery so your medicines can be stored safely.  If you do not have a working fridge, please let your specialist pharmacist or nurse know, so the delivery can be put on hold.

If a medicine has been left out of the fridge or your fridge has failed, please read the patient information leaflet that comes with the medicine to see if it provides any information. If not, please call the Homecare Provider Helpline. Do not use the medicine until you have been told it is safe to do so.

The homecare 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 homecare provider to hold information about you and your medical condition. The homecare 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:

• Privacy Notice for service users - adults :: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Children's Privacy Notice :: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Alternatively, you can request a paper copy from a Trust member of staff.

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 homecare provider and your NHS clinical team first.

Always check the medication you have received is correct. If the medication is not what you are expecting, or you are unsure, do not take the medication and contact the hospital pharmacy homecare team.

Details of the NHS complaints procedure are available from the hospital and online at: Raise a concern or complaint :: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Contact the homecare provider if:

• The delivery has not come when it was supposed to
• You would like to change the agreed delivery date or time
• You are running low on medicine and have not been contacted by the homecare provider to arrange delivery'
• If you have any other query around the delivery of your medication
• You would like to make a complaint

Contact the medical team if:

• You feel your condition is getting worse
• You feel generally unwell
• You experience an unexpected side effect
• You want to discuss your condition and/or treatment

Contact your hospital pharmacy homecare specialist team on 01254 732672 if:

• You are unable to get through to your homecare provider to arrange delivery
• You have remaining concerns following discussion with your homecare provider
• You would like to make a formal complaint about your homecare medicines service
• You would like to dicuss details of your medication

Our office hours are: Monday - Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm

Out of hours contact: If you urgently need medical help or advise outside of opening hours, and it's a non-life threatening situation, contact NHS 111 by calling 111