NHS England visit shines a light on treatment outside hospital
Welcoming NHS England
Lloyds Clinical recently welcomed senior colleagues from NHS England for a visit focused on how care delivered beyond hospital settings is supporting patients, services and the wider health system.
Held alongside partners from the National Clinical Homecare Association, the visit brought together senior NHS England stakeholders to see how these services work in practice and the role they can play as more care continues to move closer to home. Among those attending were David Webb, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England and the Government’s Senior Responsible Officer for Clinical Homecare, Joe Bassett, Chair of the National Homecare Medicines Committee, Claire Foreman, Director of Medicines Policy and Strategy, and Olivia Hobden, Project Policy Officer, Medicines Net Zero and Policy Team.
A deeper look into treatment outside hospital
Across the day, guests visited Lloyds Clinical’s compounding and operational sites, as well as the Royal Surrey mobile healthcare centre, to follow the pathway behind treatment outside hospital. From complex compounding and logistics through to direct patient support and specialist nursing care in the community, the visit offered a practical view of what is involved in delivering treatment safely and consistently beyond the hospital setting.
Guests also accompanied one of Lloyds Clinical’s specialist nurses on a patient visit at home. For patients, the opportunity to receive their care at home or in the community can be transformational, minimising visits to hospital and helping them to receive treatment in a way that fits around their lives, work and families.
Discussing the wider applications of homecare
As part of the visit, guests attended a roundtable discussion involving senior leaders from National Clinical Homecare Association organisations. Conversations focused on how Clinical Homecare can continue to evolve in support of the NHS, including the delivery of the 10-year Health Plan and the neighbourhood health agenda. It was an opportunity to reflect not only on what these services are already achieving, but also on how they can continue to develop in response to changing patient needs and system pressure.
A significant opportunity for future growth
As the NHS continues its ambition to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, the visit created valuable space to look at how this is already happening at scale. The National Clinical Homecare Association’s Best Kept Secret report found that more than 650,000 patients are supported by clinical homecare each year, helping to free up thousands of hospital beds and clinic appointments.
The report also underlines the wider value of these services. It found that 85% of patients reported their medicines were better explained in this setting, compared with a national average of 62%, and estimated that treatment outside hospital delivers £264 million in annual value to the UK health economy. It also highlights significant opportunity for future growth, with an estimated 6.8 million people living with conditions that could be appropriate for this kind of support.
Sean Feeney, Chief Executive Officer of Lloyds Clinical, said: “It was a huge honour for me to meet and learn from colleagues in the NHS, as well as a valuable opportunity to show in real terms what treatment outside of hospital involves and why it matters. These services rely on strong clinical oversight, specialist operational delivery and close partnership working. Making sure we do the best we can together is critical as the NHS looks at how more care can be delivered safely beyond the hospital setting.”
Jo Upton, Chief Patient Officer at Lloyds Clinical, added: “What stood out on the day was the chance to show the patient experience behind the pathway. Treatment outside hospital can bring real benefits for people, not only in terms of convenience, but in how care is experienced, understood and safely delivered at home. Seeing that in practice matters, because it brings the conversation back to the person at the centre of care.”
Lloyds Clinical was proud to support the visit and we look forward to continuing to work alongside our National Clinical Homecare Association partners to support the NHS England in bringing care to patients in their own homes and communities.