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MediHome's origins can be traced back to the suggestion
from an elderly patient to a nurse that he'd like her to treat him at home when he left hospital. Overheard by
David Lomax, MediHome's chairman, and coupled with the experience of Mark Lomax, MediHome's managing director, of home nursing services
operating in Australia and the United States, it helped prompt the company's foundation
in 2002 as HomeWard.
MediHome started caring for patients in 2003
following extensive work to tailor the lessons learnt overseas to
the particular needs of the UK. In
May 2006 we treated our 1,000th patient.
Most of the patients
treated in the early years were private patients. The
company also cared for patients being treated under contracts
by the NHS placed with private hospital groups and NHS patients being
treated as part of clinical trials at Imperial College.
During 2006 MediHome started treating NHS patients in larger numbers using its
"virtual ward" model with NHS hospitals and PCTs, and winning work
with private sector companies caring for NHS patients under the
ISTC programme.
MediHome started out
caring for patients following "elective surgery" (ie
planned operations). MediHome's
innovative approach, caring for a patient at home following a
ground breaking fast-track surgery operation undertaken by leading
surgeon Professor Sir Ara Darzi, featured in the NHS
Modernisation Board Report in 2004.
Having proved the
operational model with elective surgery, MediHome has extended the
service to include care for patients following unplanned
operations and hospital admissions for medical conditions.
The service now also provides GPs, community matrons and A&E
doctors with an alternative to an inpatient referral for patients
whose principal need is for nursing care.
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