Pharmacy - Homecare

What is homecare?

At RDUH we utilise external pharmacies to supply medicines directly to patients at home or to your workplace.

The benefits of homecare include:

• Not having to wait at the hospital pharmacy to collect your medicines
• No need to carry heavy, bulky medicines home
• Avoid travelling to hospital every month to collect your repeat medication
• Cost-effective for the NHS

Medications are provided by third parties who are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). We regularly communicate and monitor the service providers to ensure a safe and effective service is consistently delivered for our patients.

The company will only deliver with your prior approval, directly to your home or work address, on a prearranged date. Where appropriate, homecare also provides nurses who come to your home to help you get started with some of your medication.

The service is managed by the pharmacy homecare team, along with your consultants, specialist nurses and pharmacists throughout the hospital.

What we do

At RDUH we aim to bring safe, personal and effective care, whether a patient is being treated on-site or at home. The pharmacy homecare service helps organise the provision, delivery and administration of medications for treatment within a patient’s home. We have a dedicated Homecare team supporting this process. We currently have in excess of 4000 patients under the care of specialities such as Rheumatology, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Respiratory, Medicines for Older People, Endocrinology and Cardiology. We also provide an outpatient parenteral antimicrobial service to allow for the administration of long-term antibiotics at home.

How does it work

Prescriptions are generated from the specialist clinical teams (e.g. consultants and specialist nurses) and then sent to the Trust pharmacy homecare team. The pharmacy homecare team clinically checks the prescription and then sends it to the relevant homecare provider. The home care provider will then contact you to arrange a delivery at a time convenient for you.

What if I have a problem?

The patient care coordinator at the homecare provider will usually be able to help with delivery problems. A list of contact details for all providers are listed below. We recommend contacting them in the first instance to resolve any supply issues. If you need medical assistance always get in touch with your clinical team at the hospital.

If you feel your problem has not been handled well, or is unresolved, please contact the Trust pharmacy homecare team on the number below.

Contact details

Pharmacy homecare enquiries

For Exeter hospital managed patients:  Phone 01392 402441  (Monday to Friday – 9:00–16:00)

For Barnstaple hospital managed patients: Phone 01271 335982  (Monday to Friday – 9:00–16:00)

Other contact information

Please contact the Pharmacy Homecare team if you have less than 14 days’ supply and have not heard from your homecare provider and have been unable to get through to them.

Company	Email address	Contact number
	patientservices@alcura-health.co.uk	0800 9800686
	athome_ndcuk@baxter.com	08000 288 966
	You can contact HealthNet via the contact form on www.healthnethomecare.co.uk or sign up to the patient app at my.healthnethomecare.co.uk	0800 083 3060
	enquiries@LPclinicalhomecare.co.uk	0345 2636 123
	homecare@pharmaxo.com	01225 302188
	pharmacy@polarspeed.com	01525 217666   To track a delivery: 01525 217666 (option 1)
	You can contact Sciensus via the patient contact form on www.sciensus.com or sign up to the Sciensus Intouch patient app on Google Play	0333 103 9499