Homecare

Roz Gittins: ‘The longer fitness-to-practise processes take, the longer registrants are left in purgatory’

As the new chief pharmacy officer for the General Pharmaceutical Council, Roz Gittins tells The Pharmaceutical Journal that she is bringing a fresh pair of eyes to the regulator’s fitness-to-practise process.…

Patient organisations call for simplified e-prescribing in homecare medicines services

Homecare providers currently develop their own digital solutions to manage patient records, prompting a group to ask the government for “a more urgent focus on shifting to e-prescribing”.…

Pharmacies offered extra £2.50 per jab if they sign up to spring COVID-19 vaccination programme

Community Pharmacy England has said that pharmacy owners that vaccinate a housebound patient in their home will be able to claim an additional £10 fee.…

Updated RPS professional standards aimed to ensure high-quality homecare services across the UK

The standards are aimed at ensuring consistent care across all UK nations for patients receiving medicines and services at home that would have previously been supplied in hospital.…

Government rejects House of Lords call to give chief pharmacists more powers over homecare medicines services

The Department of Health and Social Care also rejected a recommendation that hospital chief pharmacists should arrange “back up” homecare services.…

Spotlight: Homecare services in crisis

In this episode of The PJ Pod, we examine the shortcomings in the provision and governance of homecare services.…

Homecare service failures having ‘serious impact’ on patients’ health, finds House of Lords report

The House of Lords Public Services Committee said patients receiving homecare services are “experiencing delays, receiving the wrong medicine, or not being taught how to administer their medicine”.…

The virtual ward pharmacist: a new breed

Use of virtual wards, also known as ‘hospital at home’, is increasing across the NHS. With this expansion has come a new wave of job opportunities for pharmacists, but concerns remain over how this new breed of pharmacists will be resourced.…

Two thirds of homecare patient safety incidents linked to major provider

Exclusive: According to data from hospital trusts’ monthly reporting, homecare provider Sciensus was linked to 66% of patient safety incidents.…

Failing to deliver: the homecare services putting patients at risk

An investigation by The Pharmaceutical Journal has revealed hundreds of patient safety incidents caused by problematic homecare medicines services, leading to calls for improved regulation and overhauled delivery models.…