Clinical homecare services offer efficient use of high value medication through regular education, greater compliance, better concordance, stock control and symptom monitoring. The benefits to patients, their carers and clinicians are far-reaching and make a strong and pertinent case at a time when pressure on the NHS across all areas continues to mount.
“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
Significant cost saving potential:
– Reducing capacity pressure in hospital wards, inpatient and outpatient pharmacies and outpatient departments
– Reduces future investment requirements and/or enables greater focus on more specialist services and reducing waiting times
– 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
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 your patients
– Proactive prescription management and stock checking reduces the chances of a missed dose
– Reduced hospital capacity pressure, allowing greater focus on more specialist services or reducing waiting times
– Access to advice from dedicated teams of healthcare professionals, often 24 hours per day, reducing unnecessary/inappropriate hospital admissions
– During home visits, patients have the 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 infection
Enhances overall service offering:
– 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 about care delivery; 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
– Reduced hospital capacity pressure, allowing greater focus on more specialist services or reducing waiting times
– 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 the clinical referring centre
– Regular 1:1 Supplier Performance Review with NHS Commercial Medicines Unit and National Homecare Medicines Committee
– National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA) members abide by the NCHA Code of Practice and are supported by many years ofexperience and expertise in the delivery of clinical homecare services
– Patients can access dedicated teams of healthcare professionals, often 24 hours each day, reducing unnecessary/inappropriate hospital admissions
– Fully traceable, secure, temperature-assured supply chain.
“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