Data and technology hold the key to better alignment of clinical homecare and NHS for patient benefit, says leading homecare provider.

Speaking ahead of the Clinical Pharmacy Congress North event in Manchester next month, Kerry Hinton, CEO of HealthNet Homecare, said technology was crucial to putting control of homecare provision back in the hands of patients.

“The services we offer and the core services that we do very well, you would expect of any homecare provider,” he said. 

“Where we see growth potential is in really understanding how we can use data and digital technology to a more inclusive stage with the NHS and our patients . This will empower patients to really see homecare as being part of their day-to-day activities and not something that is being done to them. It just becomes something they can organise in their own time.”

But when it comes to making the service work more effectively with NHS clinicians, Hinton says data is critical.

“The next stage is about how can we give clinicians back data that lets them make more informed decisions throughout the ongoing treatment of their patients. Because time and resources are scarce within the NHS, how do we utilise the data that we have and present it to clinicians in a way that they can then use for their best advantage in terms of ongoing treatment for their patients.”

There are between 550,000 and 600,000 patients currently receiving clinical homecare in the UK. It is estimated that the clinical homecare industry in the UK probably saves around four million pairs of feet walking through the front door of an acute NHS trust every year. 

The Clinical Homecare sector has been growing at over 20% year on year in the UK with the NHS Five-year-forward view anticipating the further extension of Clinical Homecare Services to treat patients in community settings. Clinical Homecare currently accounts for £2.1bn or 30% of the NHS secondary care medicines budget, which would rise to 60% if extended to all medicines known to be suitable for homecare. Because these services are overwhelmingly funded by the pharma companies (estimated at 85% of all patients served), as a way of differentiating their products in the clinical environment, it costs the NHS no more than any other medication, as they are buying it at the same price. Indeed, in some cases, by delivering care in a home setting, providers are even saving the NHS money by reducing pressure on NHS staff and resources.

More than three quarters of the 100,000 patients with which HealthNet Homecare works across numerous different therapy areas already interact digitally with the provider. It offers a secure platform approved by the National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA), which enables clinicians and pharmacists to get prescriptions quickly, safely and efficiently signed-off and ready for delivery.  

Patients have access to an app enabling them to book and confirm deliveries electronically; change or update delivery addresses; check medication orders and if their order has been dispatched; automatically add delivery dates to their calendar, as well as setting in-app reminders to ensure they never miss a delivery.