Clinical homecare offers a wide range of benefits whether looking to improve patient treatment outcomes, enhance the service offered, considering patient and carer peace of mind, or searching for important cost efficiencies.
“Clinical Homecare reduces hospital capacity pressure, allowing patients to be treated in the most appropriate location whilst improving patient experience. Nationally agreed service and quality standards ensure patient safety is the highest priority whilst increasing numbers of patients with increasingly complex needs receive Clinical Homecare Services”
Alison Davis RN, NCHA Chair
Improved treatment outcomes:
– Additional treatment capacity of clinical homecare services may mean faster access to treatment
– Improved adherence to treatment through regular contact with and education of the patient
– Proactive prescription management and stock checking reduces the chances of a missed dose
– Reduces hospital capacity pressure, allowing greater focus on more complex patients and reducing waiting times
– Access to advice from dedicated teams of healthcare professionals, often 24 hours per day, reducing unnecessary/inappropriate hospital admissions
– During homecare service visits, your patient has undivided attention of an experienced Healthcare Professional throughout treatment, who is extensively trained and equipped for dealing with any medical emergencies
– Fewer & shorter hospital visits means less risk of hospital-acquired infections
Enhances the overall healthcare service offering:
– Reduces hospital capacity pressure
– Patient satisfaction consistently high due to the numerous benefits that clinical homecare services afford to patients
– Additional treatment capacity of clinical homecare services may mean faster access to new treatments
– Offers greater patient choice surrounding care delivery which is high on the NHS agenda
– Ability to treat patients at a time and place convenient to them; at home, at work or at a holiday location.
– Fully traceable, secure, temperature-assured supply chain
– Maintains physical separation of NHS and ‘top up’ treatments where these are deemed appropriate by the referring clinician
Peace of mind:
– Clinical control maintained; all treatment delivered according to protocols and pathways agreed with the clinical referring centre
– Close liaison with and regular reporting to each clinical referring center
– Regular performance review via NHS National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC) homecare supplier reviews
– National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA) members have many years of experience and expertise in the delivery of clinical homecare and abide by the NCHA Code of Practice
– Patients can access dedicated teams of knowledgeable healthcare professionals, often 24 hours each day, reducing unnecessary/inappropriate hospital admissions
– Fully traceable, secure, temperature-assured supply chain
Significant cost saving potential
– Reducing capacity pressure in hospital wards, outpatient pharmacies, outpatient departments etc.
– Reduces the need for capital investment in hospitals as more patients present for treatment
– Working capital is released through reduced requirement for on site treatment capacity and stockholding of high value drugs
– Efficient use of high-value medication through regular education, compliance, concordance, stock, and symptom monitoring
“At 90% occupancy, the cost to the Trust was less than half that of an inpatient stay. ”
Designing and implementing an ‘Acute Hospital @ Home’ service – The Academy of Fabulous Stuff
“A study of 274 NHS patients receiving clinical homecare for a variety of conditions showed that treatment outside of the traditional hospital setting reduced costs by around 80%”
Home healthcare – an economic choice for the Health Service? Prof. Ciaran O’Neill, School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queens University, Belfast