In November 2023, the House of Lords Public Services Committee
published its report on the provision of
homecare medicine services. The Government responded in January 2024
and while the Committee is heartened by the engagement with its
findings, they have today written to the Secretary of State for
Health and Social Care to raise some concerns with the actions
outlined in the response.
In the letter the Committee asks
the Government to provide further details on a range of issues
including;
- How much money is spent on homecare medicines services, and
why this is currently described as “commercially sensitive”;
- What consultation exercises are to be conducted with patient
groups and clinical groups to ensure that their needs are
addressed;
- What the timelines are for the NHS’s desktop review;
- Clarification on the collection of performance data,
including whether or not the data collected contains information
on the harm suffered by patients; and
- How the person accountable for homecare will be supported to
carry out their responsibilities.
, Chair of the
Public Services Committee said;
“We thank the Government for its prompt response to our
homecare medicines services report. The Committee was
encouraged by the evident engagement with our findings. We also
welcome the update the Government has committed to providing. In
the interim, we have written to highlight outstanding areas of
concern so that these may be addressed with the urgency they
merit.
“Getting this area right is essential to provide patients
with the safe and effective care that they need. Homecare is
growing, and it has the potential to ease pressure on the NHS if
that care can be provided outside of hospital or clinical
settings.
“We’ve asked the Government to engage with the professional
and clinical bodies and patient representative groups we heard
from during the course of our inquiry. We will
also write to the National Audit Office to ask them to
examine value for money in a system where those making the
agreements do not always understand the
sector.
“We look forward to receiving an update on the progress made
in the work to deliver a simpler, more effective homecare
system.”
