Healthcare delivery
Why clinical homecare could be a solution for the NHS
Chris Carver, board member of the National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA), suggests that clinical homecare could provide a long-term solution to some of the challenges faced by the NHS. He highlights the findings of a new report.
Personalised care that fits around the patient is a well-documented NHS ambition. This goal typically goes hand-in-hand with a desire to reduce reliance on traditional bricks-and- mortar services. An estimated 31 million people in the UK say they are living with at least one long-term health condition. This is almost half of the UK population. As our population grows, so will the demand on the NHS. Projections from The Health Foundation suggest that nearly one in five of us will live with a major illness that requires regular healthcare by 2040. Clinical homecare could offer a unique answer and solution; but due to a lack of understanding and ownership, it remains one of the NHS’s best-kept secrets.
What is clinical homecare? Clinical homecare is a wide-ranging service, covering specialist medicines storage and delivery. This often includes the administration of medications by a trained healthcare professional in a patient’s home. While every patient’s needs are different, these services fall into three service pathways: l Dispense and delivery of medications, usually to an individual’s home, and clinical waste disposal.
l Delivery of medicines to an individual’s home, with virtual training for the patient to teach self-administration.
l Delivery of medicines with clinical support for treatment in the home.
While relatively unknown, the NHS has offered these services for 30 years. As a board member of the National Clinical Homecare Association, I work with companies that are delivering these services around the UK. Clinical homecare can be used to treat a variety of acute and long-term conditions. This includes respiratory, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular conditions, as well as cancer, blood disorders and more. Currently around 600,000 people in the UK are receiving treatment in this way. Clinical homecare has virtually no limits. The
combination of logistics and clinical expertise, allows these services to reach the furthest corners of the UK. They can be fully adapted to fit around individual needs and preferences.
Supporting increased understanding Clinical homecare has evolved significantly over the past decade, growing in both scope and sophistication, but current usage represents a fraction of what is possible. The primary barrier is a lack of understanding of the industry, and the significant value that the service brings. To help address this issue, the NCHA has commissioned an independent report which sheds new light on the industry. The report has been steered by an independent panel of experts from the NHS and beyond. Through detailed modelling and new insights, the report highlights the importance to patients, the benefits to the NHS and the wider impact on society.
Benefits to patients Clinical homecare is truly patient-centric. When you consider the specialist-nature of the people receiving care, the benefits of at-home care are significant. Without this service, patients would be forced to make regular trips to hospitals, pharmacies and other medical facilities. For many, these trips will be costly, time-consuming and detrimental to their health. As part of the Best Kept Secret report, 804 UK patients were asked what impact they thought treatment had had on their life. Half of those surveyed had received clinical homecare in the last year and half had not. In all cases, a significantly higher proportion of people receiving clinical homecare reported a positive impact. Notably, this type of care almost doubles the perceived ability to “get on with life”. (See Table 1.) For many people, healthcare can make it difficult to remain in regular employment. As a result, people with long-term conditions can be
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