Traditionally, treatments for serious diseases, from cancer to autoimmune diseases, and from growth hormone deficiency to lysosomal disorders, have been carried out in hospitals.
Hospitals are generally based in towns and cities, and accessing hospital care can be really challenging for some people.
The solution has been the provision of homecare, but it isn’t the best solution for all patients, or for the NHS.
Pharmaxo Healthcare has successfully been providing homecare on behalf of the NHS for 14 years. Its new clinic services will combine hospital-level care and easy patient access through Mobile Treatment Centres and pop-up and fixed location clinics in the community.
There are a number of challenges to accessing healthcare in hospital. Travel is difficult for people with mobility or vision issues, people in rural areas without public transport or without access to a car, and people who find travel and parking too much to afford.
Hospital treatments also take time, and this, combined with travel time and delays, can mean people have to miss significant amounts of work or study, or have to make arrangements for care of children and other dependents.
Homecare has been a real benefit, and while it is still most appropriate for some patients, it isn’t the first choice for everyone.
Treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses isn’t always pleasant, and some patients don’t want to associate the experience with their home, or expose their children to the process.
It can also be isolating, as patients don’t get the peer support that they might when receiving treatment in hospital.
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Pharmaxo Healthcare has had a clinic model in place for a number of years. During the Covid pandemic we adapted this model and found it could be very flexible in delivering Covid services on behalf of the NHS, working with two integrated care systems (ICSs).
The new service has grown out of this and will operate out of pop-up clinics in spaces such as village halls, shopping centres and community centres, fixed locations in community healthcare settings, and from the company’s Mobile Treatment Centres in car parks and other open spaces.
The first clinic started operations in October 2023 next to the Secret Garden at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.
Pharmaxo Healthcare’s Mobile Treatment Centre (MTC) can be driven on a standard driving licence and can park up virtually anywhere. The MTC includes two infusion chairs that can recline fully for comfort, with daylight coming in through a full-size one-way window.
Patients can access Wi-Fi, power and USB charging, watch television or listen to the radio. An HVAC system provides air-conditioning, heating and ventilation. The mobile treatment clinic has ambient and cold storage to store drugs, and anaphylaxis equipment and a portable defibrillator for emergency situations.
“Equitable access is really important. As well as being more accessible for patients by providing treatment right in the heart of the community, local clinics are a more efficient way to deliver healthcare, which takes pressure of the NHS and helps to reduce backlogs and waiting lists.”
“Our clinics provide a new option for patients and will work alongside our existing homecare provision.”
Managing Director, Pharmaxo Healthcare
By renting spaces within the community, these clinics also add back into the local economy. They provide a boost for local businesses. There are other benefits, as well as location. The clinics are smaller, so are more likely to run on time, reducing delays for patients. Because there are a number of patients accessing each location, they can provide peer support for each other, and nurses can run group patient training sessions.
“The nurses enjoy these services as well – it reduces the time that they have to spend in their cars and allows them to spend more quality time caring for patients.” Alison Davis, Managing Director, Pharmaxo Pharmacy Services .
The nurse-to-patient ratio is higher, which benefits patients, and nurses can treat between eight and 20 patients a day, depending on the individuals’ treatment regimens. This means that ultimately, these clinics can help the NHS with their capacity challenges and bring down treatment backlogs.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Pharmaxo Healthcare’s clinic services could support your patients, then please contact us and we’ll be in touch.
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