Should we be writing to our MPs regarding the difficulties we are experiencing with drug deliveries from healthcare at home?

[Mall]

As an RA patient who has missed two enbrel injections due to the changes at Healthcare at Home I am becoming increasingly worried that the company will not be able to resolve their current delivery problems quickly. The standard apology letter sent out does not really acknowledge the stress or distress caused by this company in recent months; the difficulties experienced in phoning, lack of response to emails, broken promises of phone calls, deliveries not arriving when arranged, patients missing doses of medication. By reading the comments on this site relating to this issue I can see that staff have been laid off, others are leaving as they can not cope with what has happened to the company and or with the number of complaints. The service appears to be broken; is it beyond repair. Some contributors to the earlier discussions and questions have suggested taking action. What action can be taken against a private company? Healthcare at home do not appear to have a complaints policy and complaining to the person who answers the phone will not achieve any constructive change. As patients what can we do? We can inform our hospital consultants and hope they ensure that the nhs is not paying for medication that is not sent to patients. We can also write letters of complaint about this to our MPs to alert them to a major issue that has arisen within a section of healthcare that has been handed over to the private sector.

[Ronnie63]

Hi

I would never recommend writing to your MP as all they'll do is feared your letter to the company and ask them t draft a response. MPs are pretty useless at this sort of things. The thing t do is identify who manages their contract, pays their fees and is ultimately responsible for the service and/or vicariously liable for when tags g wrong. I would raise a formal complaint with that organisation, it must have something to do with the NHS. I would also send copies to any relevant charities, lobbying organisation so that can add leverage as appropriate

Good luck

Ronnie

[Hidden in reply to Ronnie63]

Like this idea....we must ask NRAS to help. I did alert Victoria to this when I raised the issues I was having with HaH two months ago. And certainly emailing them has not worked as I have had no response and that was four weeks ago ! At least now we have the name of the MD of HaH......letters in the post to him and we should also send copy to our Rheum. Team as well as the the hospital administrators...they are paying for a service that is not working

[allanah]

I write to my mp all the time about various disability issues. Well worth writing and informing them of your issues I think.

[benjijen]

I have now missed an injection and HAH don't seem to care. Companies have to tender to offer this service and HAH seem to be wining quite a few but don't appear to have put things in place in order to carry it out. I agree with writing to the MD as I have done a credit check on this company and they are making a good profit. Also send a copy to your hospital, doctor and MP. That is certainly what I intend to do this week. It took a long time to get my meds right and I don't want to go back to how I was before.

[cathie]

I once contacted my mp who was in the cabinet. This was in about 1999-2000. He was excellent and raised an issue with the chief exec of the hospital. Things did change. When I complain I send letters to anyone who might be involved. The media is also a good bet, though I'd avoid anyone involved in knocking the nhs. Someone like Polly Toynbee on guardian. Evan Harris who used to be a lib-dem mp in Oxford is still involved in campaigning. Good luck

[LavendarLady]

I have also received the standard letter from Healthcare at Home. I came very close to running out of Enbrel and was surprised I had not received my usual phone call. I e mailed them and left a message and my contact Ellouise rang back and when I explained I was down to 1 injection, she made immediate arrangements for my next lot which was overdue to be delivered the following Wednesday which it was.

The only course of action I can suggest (apart from writing to your MP which in my case usually only produces platitudes and the party line), is to e mail HatH and keep e mailing until you get a response if the telephone produces no results. You could also report the problems to your Rheumy as they (or the hospital) set this up in the first place. I suppose we could ask to be given a normal prescription but am not sure if the local pharmacies would be able to dispense it. Summer might know.

LavendarLady x

[dcj14]

I think writing to your MP is definitely worth considering. I made a formal complaint to the Operational Quality Manager at HAH 2 days ago. If I don't get a satisfactory response, I then intend to complain through PALS at my hospital - although first I will contact my Rheumy nurse (who is excellent) to see if she has any other appropriate suggestions as I don't want to bypass my Rheumy team or make it appear that I am complaining about them. If all else fails, I do think I may write to my MP. In my experience MPs are very powerful and I have known MPs to force action over much more trivial matters. I want to try the other complaint routes first to prove that I have gone through the appropriate channels and then hope this will highlight how seriously this matter needs to be taken. All healthcare providers, NHS and private, are also inspected by the Care Quality Commission - check their website cqc.org.uk. They have a section there for the public where we can complain about a care provider - HAH is included on their website, so I may well complain / report via CQC too. Good luck everyone and keep fighting!

[hatshepsut]

I do think it a good idea to complain to everyone possible. The company...we now have the name!.... Mps (I live in Scotland so it will be my MSP) health board or authority , media. All complaints copied to your local clinic

I think it would be a great idea to use NRAS . They have direct contact with lots of influential people, and can coordinate any complaints. I intend to email them today.

The important thing is that this must never happen again.!!! It's OUR health on the line

[hatshepsut]

Have contacted NRAS who will pursue our complaint. Will keep you posted M x

[Mall in reply to hatshepsut]

Hi, thanks for contacting NRAS. For a while I thought that I was the only one having this difficulty with deliveries and felt vulnerable and at a loss about what I could do. Thank you and everyone else for your supportive replies. Hopefully a united approach will provide sufficient pressure on Healthcare at Home to invest some of its profits into providing a reliable service instead of continuing on its current course which appears to have destroyed what was once a good service.

[LavendarLady in reply to hatshepsut]

Thanks, Hope they get a response. LL

[fossil321]

I seem to have the opposite problem to other people, instead of phoning me, they send me a text. I had two deliveries in two weeks at the beginning of December, I have had another text this morning saying they are going to send me a delivery next Tuesday (7th), as I have been off Enbrel for two weeks due to a chest infection I have 7 injections left. I tried to phone and cancel next weeks delivery but the phone message they are giving out is the one from before Xmas, then I read the posts above and decided not to bother cancelling as I may not get any in the future !!!!

[Hidden in reply to fossil321]

Enbrel is the one they were short of which set off all my deliveries of one or two pens and non delivery due to shortage.

[watson3]

I have just had a letter from them HAH they have given the reason. The took on another contract in november. Had insufficient staff to man the phones also not enough staff to do all the deliveries.

Have now issued a email address they can be contacted at

[watson3]

HAH.....

EMAIL [e-mail]

They Promise to answer all emails in 24 hours

Hope this helps those having difficulties contacting them.

Carole

[Hidden in reply to watson3]

except they do not reply------still waiting despite several emails

[Chrissycl]

I had to contact them by email between christmas and new year as only had 1 injection left.I then received an apolligetic phonecall to arrange my delivery and it arrived on the 2-11-14 as promised, the courier even phoned on the day as he was going to be a lot earlier than the tracker said.Days later I received the letter explaining why all the delays. So not too bad for me,hope you get the same .I wonder wether it matters whar area you live in.I live in S Yorkshire.