Pharmacy - Homecare Medicines Service

Why have I been given this leaflet?

You have been given this leaflet as your clinician has prescribed medicines for you that can be delivered directly to your home, or a nominated place of your choice (for example your place of work or a friend’s house) without the need to go to the hospital or a clinic. This is called a ‘Homecare Medicines Service’.

How does the Homecare Medicines Service work?

If you are suitable for the service, your clinical team will make you aware and with your consent will register you for the service. After your clinical team at the hospital prepares your prescription, it will be checked by the hospital pharmacy homecare team and sent to an external homecare company.

A homecare company will then dispense your medicines and contact you to arrange a delivery (and nurse support if this is part of the service). The first call from the homecare company may take up to 4-6 weeks from when your prescription has been generated by your clinical team.

Some medicines require special storage, such as in a fridge. The homecare company will explain how to store the medicine correctly and to report any problems.

About the Homecare providers we use

The homecare providers we use are external private companies who are not part of the NHS or our hospitals, but have been chosen by us to provide this service to you. The homecare provider we use will vary depending on which medicine you are receiving.

Please note, that this service is free of charge and therefore no payment is required for any part of the service.

What are my responsibilities?

To ensure that your medicines are supplied safely using the Homecare Medicines Service, it is important that you:

• Provide a contact telephone number and current address for the homecare provider to contact you to confirm delivery arrangements. You must let the homecare provider and your clinical team know if these change. Please be aware that the homecare provider may call from a withheld number
• Ensure someone is at home and available to accept deliveries at the arranged date and time. If something unexpected arises, you must let the homecare provider know. If they are unable to contact you, there may be delays to your delivery
• Follow the instructions given, keep your medicines in the recommended storage conditions and take your medicines regularly
• Attend your clinic appointments for follow-ups and any blood tests that are needed. This is to ensure that you are benefitting from your medicine(s), and it is not causing any side effects or problems. If you fail to attend regular blood tests, the hospital pharmacy homecare team are unable to process your prescription safely and this may result in delays to your treatment

Who do I contact if I have a problem?

You should contact the Homecare Provider if:

• You have not received the first welcome call in the expected time
• You would like to change the agreed delivery date/time/ location
• You are running low on supplies and have not been contacted by the homecare provider to arrange a delivery
• Your delivery has not arrived when you expected
• You have any other query about your delivery or your nurse visit if you are expecting one

You should contact your Hospital Clinical Team if:

• You feel your condition is getting worse
• You want to discuss your condition and/or your treatment
• You experience an unexpected side effect
• You would like to discuss your Homecare medicines or nursing support
• You want to change how you receive your medicines
• You have kept your medicines outside of the recommended storage conditions

You should contact your Hospital Pharmacy Homecare Team if:

• You are unable to contact your homecare provider to arrange a delivery
• You still have concerns following discussion with your homecare provider
• You would like to make a formal complaint about your homecare provider, or your homecare provider has not resolved a complaint

Homecare company contact numbers

Alcura Homecare - Tel: 0800 980 0686
Baxter Homecare - Tel: 0800 032 4894
Calea Homecare - Tel: 0800 121 8300
FMC Homecare - Tel: 0800 001 4499
Healthnet Homecare - Tel: 0800 193 2027
Lloyds Pharmacy Clinical Homecare - Tel: 0345 263 6123
Pharmaxo Homecare - Tel: 01225 302 188
Polarspeed Homecare - Tel: 0800 783 3178
Sciensus (previously Healthcare at Home) - Tel: 0333 103 9499

Pharmacy Homecare team contact numbers

Fairfield (Bury), Oldham, Rochdale - Tel: 0161 778 2202
Salford - Tel: 0161 206 6115

Useful links

For further information on how the Trust uses your data, please refer to the Trust privacy notice:
https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/patient-information/northern-care-alliance-nhs-foundation-trust-privacy-notice