06 June 2023
We're excited to publish the recent news about the success of our Homecare Medicines Campaign. Read the full press release below.
The House of Lords Public Services Committee today announced its decision to launch a rapid inquiry into Homecare Medicines Services after a 10-month BSR-led campaign to raise safety and reliability concerns that are impacting both patients and clinicians.
The rapid inquiry will begin on 14 June with the committee taking evidence from a range of stakeholders including BSR's new Chief Executive Sarah Campbell, the British Society for Gastroenterology, and Crohn’s & Colitis UK.
Speaking about the announcement BSR CEO Sarah Campbell said, “The decision by the Lords Public Services Committee to launch this inquiry is a huge win for BSR members, who have been raising concerns about the safety and reliability of Homecare Medicines Services for over a year. We’ve seen in recent weeks through extensive coverage in the Guardian and ITV how faltering services are devastating the lives of some patients and their families. Unfortunately, for clinicians dealing with Homecare Services on the front line, the story of delays, missed deliveries and lost prescriptions is nothing new and these issues are having a huge impact on the day-to-day running of Rheumatology services up and down the country.”
She continued, “However, this a huge opportunity to put things right, and as the committee hears from clinicians and patient groups alike just how badly things are going wrong, the government, the health service, and the Homecare industry must be prepared to listen to and to act on any recommendations put forward. BSR is looking forward to taking part in that process and we’re hopeful that real change is on the horizon.”
When surveyed, BSR members have reported dissatisfaction with Homecare Medicines Services in over 20 NHS trusts and Health Boards in England and Scotland, with both adult and paediatric services being affected. Issues raised in the survey with Homecare Services include;
- Lost or missing prescriptions
- Missed or failed drug deliveries
- Delays in processing of new patients and a failure to arrange onboarding visits in the targeted time
- A poor and disjointed customer service culture
- And a lack of accountability and sufficient oversight structures when things go wrong.
BSR have been joined in our campaign for a Parliamentary inquiry by other medical speciality groups including the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) and British Association of Gastroenterology (BSG) and patient charities including the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), National Axial Spondylarthritis Society (NASS) and Crohn’s and Colitis UK (CCUK), all of whom signed a joint public statement with BSR to raise the alarm about Homecare Services.
You can read the statement here.
The details of the homecare medicines inquiry sessions by the Public Services Committee can be read here.