Homecare medicines services

Why have I been given this resource?

You may have been given this resource by your doctor, nurse or pharmacist as you have agreed to have one or more of your medicines delivered to your home. This is called homecare medicine service.

This resource should provide you with information you need about receiving your medicines safely and securely through this service.

What is a homecare medicine service?

The homecare medicine service delivers hospital prescribed medicines directly to a patient’s home or another alternative address, such as your workplace or a relatives home.

The service can also provide support in nursing help and can teach you how to give your child their medicine at home. We can also provide needles, dressings and disposal bins.

What do I need to do?

Your hospital doctor, nurse or pharmacist will complete a registration form which will contain your personal information and address. You will be asked to give consent to use the service.

This will also be an agreement between you and the provider that you are prepared for them to hold your information on file, regarding your child and their medical condition.

You will not be asked to do anything else.

What will the homecare provider know about me?

The homecare provider will have your personal details including:

• name
• address
• contact information
• medical condition and treatment

This will be stored on their secure network and will comply with the Data Protection Act 1998.

How do I benefit from a homecare service?

You will benefit from a homecare service as your medicines will be delivered directly to your home or other UK address of your choice. This means you will not need to collect your medication from the hospital pharmacy.

You will still have to attend your clinic appointments. The homecare medicine service can only continue if you attend regular check-ups for your child’s condition to be monitored.

What are the risks?

The homecare services are a safe and convenient way of getting medication to you.

There is a very small risk that your medication may not reach you on time, so your child may have to miss a dose.

To minimise this, deliveries are scheduled, and plans will be in place in case your child’s medication needs to be delivered urgently. Please stick to the agreed delivery times and make sure you are home to receive the delivery. Also make sure to take your child to all of their appointments such as blood tests.

Please monitor your medications and make sure you do not run out and tell the company if you are running low. You might be eligible to keep a small back-up supply to make sure your child does not have to miss any doses.

Who will dispense and deliver my medications?

The homecare providers are private companies. They are not part of the NHS. Your hospital team will have chosen the provider and this decision is based on the treatment and medication your child needs.

The homecare company can be changed by us but this would only be done in exceptional circumstances or if they withdraw from certain treatments. This should have no impact on you, and we will keep you fully informed if this happens.

Some of the companies we use are:

• Sciensus Homecare
• Baxter
• Calea
• Alcura
• Polarspeed
• Healthnet Homecare
• Lloyds Pharmacy Clinical Homecare

Your child’s medication will be delivered by the selected homecare provider by an anonymised vehicle.

The medication will need to be signed for, either by you, or a person that has been agreed in advance. This is a requirement as the hospital needs this as proof of delivery and to make sure that the homecare provider is fulfilling their service requirements.

Where is the homecare service?

The homecare service is based in the pharmacy department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, on Western Bank, S10 2TH.

Our office is open 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

This is a dedicated team within the pharmacy department. We are in charge of getting, managing and processing prescriptions. We work with the pharmacists and other medical teams, and liaise with the homecare providers to make sure you get the best service.

Who should I contact if I have any questions?

It is essential that you know who to contact if you have a question. This will depend of the type of question and the service you are receiving.

To change the date, time or address or your delivery

Contact the homecare provider directly on the telephone number you have been given.

For questions about your treatment or condition

Contact your clinical team on the telephone number you have been given.

If you are unhappy with service or homecare provider

Contact the homecare provider to get a formal complaints reference. Contact the homecare team on 0114 271 7000 and ask for pharmacy procurement.

For any questions out of hours

For homecare provided, contact them on the 24 hours helpline they have provider.

For medical emergency, contact out of hours GP or NHS 111.

What happens now?

Homecare medicine services can take a few weeks to get set up, so your current dispensing process will continue until then.

Once you have been registered with the homecare provider they will send you a welcome pack which includes their contact details and some more information. This is usually sent by post or could arrive with your first delivery.

They will contact you to arrange your delivery and ask if you have any nursing needs or training needs. If so, then a nurse will visit your home and teach you how to administer medicine to your child, or teach them if they are old enough to self-administer their own medicine.