Herceptin® at home

Aim:
The aim is to develop a service model that delivers Herceptin® (trastuzumab) to patients with breast cancer in their home environment, where appropriate, rather than in the hospital day case unit. This work is with the teams at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust with a view to testing the concept, acceptability and effectiveness of such a service.

Objectives:

• Offer an alternative to hospital treatment.
• Deliver safe and effective clinical care at home.
• Develop robust clinical protocols for shared care
• ensure robust clinical and information transfer governance procedures.
• Demonstrate innovation
• Effectively utilize resources and identify savings.
• Stimulate the market for this model of care across the condition group.

Progress update:
61% of eligible patients are accessing Herceptin® at home.

Please click here to see the latest survey results and workstream progress which resulted in £365k savings.

Chemotherapy @ home

Aim:
To develop a service model that delivers appropriate intravenous (IV) chemotherapy drugs to cancer patients in their own homes or in a community setting.

Objectives:

• Offer an alternative to hospital day unit treatment.
• Deliver safe and effective care at home or in a community setting.
• Develop robust protocols within and across organisations.
• Develop partnership working.

Progress update:

• Trust (including consultant and pharmacy) agreement on list of drugs deemed appropriate for giving in a community setting or at home.
• Information governance issues (eg data sharing and transfer of patient identifiable information) raised and addressed.
• IT pathway agreed and remote access set up for private provider to access appropriate patient information on trust system.
• Pathway mapped and agreed with all parties (including consultants, clinical nurse specialist (CNS), pharmacy, pathology, IT, governance).
• Standard operating procedure for community IV chemotherapy produced and currently waiting for sign off from trust.
• Documentation agreed between trust and private provider (eg referral, patient information leaflet, pre-chemotherapy discussion, out of hours pathway, shared drug protocols).
• Meetings/ training on new process held with relevant trust staff.
• First haematology patient on maintenance rituximab due to start on new pathway w/c 12th December 2011.
• First oncology patients on gemcitabine due to start on new pathway w/c 12 December 2011.

For more information on this workstream please contact Sharon Adams:
Mobile: 07973 419572
Email: sharon.adams@westmidlands.nhs.uk