Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet the British Society for Rheumatology to discuss its concerns about the safety and performance of homecare medicines services.

The National Clinical Homecare Association is arranging a meeting with the British Society for Rheumatology and the National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC), which includes representation from NHS England, to discuss the safety and performance of the Homecare Medicine Delivery Service.

The NHMC’s Supplier Engagement sub-group, which is facilitated, managed by and includes representation from NHS England, holds face-to-face meetings with individual providers to discuss ongoing performance.

Where Key Performance Indicators or reports from National Health Service hospitals indicate that service levels do not meet the required standard expected, the NHMC undertakes an escalation process. Where this escalation process is in place, the affected homecare provider will provide a summary of the issues, mitigations and expected timescales for recovery to the relevant NHS organisation. If necessary, the Care Quality Commission and the General Pharmaceutical Council are also informed.

Whilst NHS England holds records of the NHMC’s face-to-face meetings and those held through the escalation process, we are unable to provide this information as it is commercially sensitive.