This company really should lose the contract from the NHS. After all we pay for it, and more importantly we the patients are still being let down big time. Despite links from pinned posts not working, updated e-mail addresses numerous telephone calls: you are 47th in the queue, no thanks. So I will have yet another missed dose through their sheer incompetence. I truly believe that so many conditions of the contract have been broken they really should be charged with fraud and improper use of public funds. All listed patients ought to be compensated that have suffered due to their total disregard for us. Tomorrow will be my 8th missed dose since Christmas, through no fault of my own. I'm sure there are others suffering more than me. My rheumy team are at the end of their tether too with them. Time we called for a change. I have asked my Consultant to find another way for me to obtain my medication in a more sensible and regular way.
Healthcare at Home AGAIN!: This company really should... - NRAS
Healthcare at Home AGAIN!
Sorry to hear you have been having trouble. I was on Humira for 2 years and never once had a problem with delivery. However I changed to Embrel about 5 weeks ago and that's when it went wrong. I rang them 10 days before my injections ran out as I had a feeling that I wasn't going to get a delivery on time. In fact I rang 4 times in total and I have to say they were just incompetent. I spoke to one lady right at the end who really tried to do her best for me but by then it was too late for me to get my meds on time. I asked her how this could happen bearing in mind they had 10 days to sort it out and she replied that some of the agents are just 'inexperienced'. I was determined I wasn't going to miss a week as my markers have been sky high so I rang my rheumatology nurse and was able to collect one from the hospital as they keep some spares. I am now due a delivery on 3rd June so fingers crossed. Missing 8 doses is completely unacceptable and I really hope you can sort something out soon as you really don't need all this hassle. Good luck Pat x
This is really disturbing there could be clinical implications if doses are missed. Who can we complain to?
I would go to your MPs surgery of call them. That is totally unacceptable and is putting your health at risk . X
I am seeing my rheumy nurse on Monday and I shall be relaying what has been happening with HCH as well. The service has gone down hill drastically since September of last year, up until then I had a dedicated person who regularly called me and kept my boxes of Enbrel up to date. Since then it's been nothing but problems and all and sundry call me and no one looks properly at your records.
Have had three deliveries from this company - none on time, so have run out of meds on occasion. Lines to get through are hopeless - gave up after 40 minutes on the line last time. Interactions with this company have made my health worse. They have never had the courtesy to answer any of my emails. I complained to Healthwatch, got an initial brushoff with them saying they only did policy issues and not individual complaints, and when I said I replied to the effect that I thought it poor policy that the NHS would utilise a company that was so poor I got this response:
"My colleague phoned the General Pharmaceutical Council and said they have had a number of complaints about the same service. The person in the GPC dealing with concerns around Healthcare at home is Andrew South. He can be contacted on 02033653400 or Andrew.south@pharmacyregulation.org"
I would suggest trying this route as well. Maybe if we all contact Mr South with our concerns there will be some action.
This website gives local inspectors by area, and would be another individual to alert for your local area.
I've had exactly the same problem, I went on NHS choices website and complained and HAH just replied to say they are going through a big restructure and things should improve in the next few months. Exactly what they wrote back last time I complained, months before that!
Thanks AuroraB I'm going to call Mr South as well, dont they realise people are going through enough as it is, thats why we need the drugs, without having to put up with the frustration and anixety that dealing with this company brings. Let alone if youve got to fit the deliveries in around work commitments, school runs etc it can be a nightmare!
Good luck to all out there, hope your deliveries arrive soon
Yes I have experienced similar problems -impossible to reach people via phone and numerous emails ignored - and like other patients missed my scheduled injection due to their failure to deliver my Cimzia. I emailed the Media department- threatened to go viral with my complaint - and Hey Presto some one phoned me back - full of apologies - and promised things would improve asap. Meanwhile - in the interest of patient welfare - if you cannot reach HAH - try Grant.fisher@hah.co.uk (media) or steven.litherland@hah.co.uk telephone no. 07738697974 (Operational Quality Specialist) . NRAS surely can represent patients on this issue - on our behalf - so some one hears our voice !!
Thank you one and all. Very heartening to learn of your stories. I will telephone Mr South first thing Monday,, the more people who can put a case against them the better. It is an appalling fiasco that we are having to endure. I gather that last year they made something in the region of £17 million profit, and at what expense to us.
I agree. I would really like to collect my Humira from the local chemist.
Spot on there , I've been in exactly the same position and I Know of many others having the same problems , it's a gross waste of NHS money contracting out a service if that service is constantly not being delivered , for me personally I can't praise the NHS enough they've given me my life back but what a shame when a private health care provider gets involved and let's the service down despite being payed an awful lot of money , the Directors of Health Care at Home should be ashamed of themselves.
Hope you get sorted soon
Matt
Disgraceful, dangerous and incompetent is the conclusion I've come to from my own experiences with Health Care at Home. What a shame when I've received such marvellous care from the NHS only to be let down by a private Health Care Provider who are being paid an awful lot of money by the NHS to provide such an important service. I wouldn't trust Health Care at Home to dispense a sticking plaster let alone life changing medications.
I agree with all the above, HAH should have their contract terminated. They are not competent enough to deliver the service. 12 months ago, no problems, very efficient and helpful. Since the autumn, 2013 however, their service has been dreadful. They are full of apologies and excuses with promises of improvement on the way, but in 6 months they have demonstrated no evidence of this. No one contacts me from HAH about delivery of medication any more. I have to keep track and phone them to organise deliveries and often, as this week, have to call them again, to report that the delivery I had organised had not happened on the date arranged. Due to living in a remote area my deliveries are via Royal Mail who track the deliveries accurately. HAH always deny they are at fault for the lateness but it is very obvious that again they are making up excuses and blaming others instead of examining and addressing the weaknesses in their own organisation. How much additional profit is HAH making for charging the NHS for drugs that have not been delivered to patients or do they they honesty take away from the bill to the NHS each drug which is missed by a patient due to their late delivery. How much additional profit are they making every day by having patients, (all ill and/or disabled and mainly needing to be careful with their income) spending ages waiting to speak to someone on the telephone. My longest waiting time was one hour five minutes. This does seem to have improved and the last couple of calls to order drugs I have only waited for about 15 minutes to speak to someone. Their needs to be a thorough investigation into this company and the NHS need to start asking for money back for drugs not delivered to patients.
I'll add my voice to the general clamour regarding the negligence of this company. I've alerted my hospital. I've complained formally, with no response. I've contacted Healthwatch, who thanked me for contacting them, but appear to do nothing. I've officially accused them of clinical malpractice, when I suffered a flare-up, having run out of Enbrel. They haven't even responded. It is my opinion that they are deliberately withholding medication from patients to cut costs. I have to fight to get my full quota of meds each time, as they only ever send four pens instead of eight. I've written damning reviews on NHS choices, but they just give the same response. They issue statements that are deliberately misleading, stating that their problems have been resolved, when this is patently untrue. If ever a company deserved to be in the full glare of the media spotlight it is HaH. They should not have this contract. They should not be permitted to operate without any regulation. The pharmaceutical authorities should have intervened a long time ago.
This made my day:
theguardian.com/society/201...
I hope hitting the front pages does something to shake their service standards.
Yesterday, my rheumatologist expressed the view that it seems to be worse in London. Are you in London? I haven't started Embrel yet, but am due to be doing so in a few weeks' time. Would this be a suitable cause for Causes.org or epetitions.direct.gov.uk I wonder. I would certainly sign!
Hello all
Just a quick update, my delivery arrived at 7:45pm. At least it was on Tuesday as promised. Despite all my efforts in contacting anyone who may be able to help, I have not had one reply from anyone, except my Rheumy team who have agreed to switch me to another provider thankfully. Since Wednesday I have received 3 calls from HAH to arrange my next delivery. So I had great pleasure in telling them that I had been placed with another service provider and therefore, HAH would not get a penny more for medication supplies to me.I had the bog standard letter from HAH that was supposed to represent an apology, everything that has gone on has been caused by an outside influence. None of it their doing. Just wish we could sue them!!! As someone asked I'm in South Devon.
Footdoc
Footdoc
Law companies are beginning to advertise over this. I'm thinking of contacting them myself.
medicalaccidentgroup.co.uk/...
michaellewinsolicitors.word...
I'm sure many people are entitled to compensation, rather than flowers. I haven't heard anything, after many complaints, from HaH.
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