22 March 2023
After a robust campaign, led by us and supported by five other medical speciality groups and patient charities, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) of NHS National Services Scotland, Professor Alison Strath, has committed to a review of homecare medicines services operating in Scotland.
In a response to a letter from Rhoda Grant MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Humza Yousaf MSP said the CPO will review homecare services later this year.
Responding to the decision on behalf of BSR, CEO Ali Rivett said, “This decision is a significant win for BSR members, who together with professional and patient organisations, have been sounding the alarm about the reliability, safety and accountability of homecare medicines services.”
We have been calling for a review into the transparency, IT operability, accountability and sustainability of homecare services, following a cycle of delays and long waits for patients to receive and start new medications.
Ali continued, “The central call of our campaign has been for national level scrutiny of the way these services are operated. We believe this holistic scrutiny is needed to drive up standards, reduce the burden on NHS clinical teams and provide safe, reliable and accountable services to the hundreds of thousands of patients reliant on Homecare Services.”
Finally, he added, “Whilst this decision is an important first step for Scotland, we now call on the CPO of NHS England, David Webb, to follow suite. And for politicians in Westminster to step up and hold these services accountable, given how this issue is affecting so many of their constituents.”
Commenting on the decision Rhoda Grant, Scottish Labour MSP for the Highlands and Islands said, “It's about high time the Scottish Government recognise how worrying it is that contracted companies are not delivering for the NHS and patients.”
She continued, “I have raised concerns directly with the Cabinet Secretary for Health regarding delivery of homecare medicines several times now. Thankfully they are beginning to notice that this issue needs to be urgently looked at. I only hope that the Scottish Government start this review imminently and address the issues before patient care deteriorate further.”