New health minister’s report endorses MediHome approach to hospital care at home

(12 July 2007)

Professor Sir Ara Darzi, the leading surgeon appointed by Gordon Brown as a new health minister, has just published a radical blueprint for the future of health care in London. The service provided by MediHome, the hospital-care-at-home company, receive special mention as an exemplar of best practice recommended for adoption for the future.

Extract from the report:-  “People want to be cared for at home, so the home should be seen as a location where care is given. Much planned care can be delivered at home including intravenous antibiotics and some cancer treatments. Better use should be made of specialist nurses to deliver high-quality care at home. In addition, much more can be done to support early discharge and rehabilitation. For instance Medihome and the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital have formed a partnership to allow patients to be discharged early and then cared for at home. Patients prefer it, there are cost savings and it is clinically safe.” 

MediHome is working with a number of NHS organisations in London including Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore, mentioned above, and Hounslow PCT. Professor Sir Ara Darzi and his team confirm that completing a patient’s recovery at home provides many benefits including improving clinical outcomes and making best use of NHS resources. It is also the preference of the vast majority of patients.

Dr Mark Lomax, Managing Director and Founder of MediHome comments – “We very much welcome the report and its support for increasing the number of hospital patients receiving care at home.  We are pleased to see case studies elsewhere in the report that describe acute home nursing as the way of the future.  The work that MediHome is doing for Hounslow PCT and RNOH Stanmore demonstrates that this solution can be implemented today.”

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MediHome is now part of the new NHS family

(7 June 2007)

MediHome has been recognised as a member of the NHS family by admission to full membership of the NHS Confederation.

MediHome is one of the new wave of independent providers to the NHS whose the skills and experience of the private sector complement the traditional values of the NHS to deliver benefits to both the patient and the health service. 

Companies such as MediHome, who are delivering front line patient services, are now recognised for the contribution and value they bring to the NHS.  Following a ballot of NHS Trusts and PCT management, the NHS Confederation will be admitting these independent providers to full membership at its AGM which takes place within the NHS Confederation Conference on 20th June.

The NHS is increasingly looking to the private sector to provide front line services where the independent provider is better placed to deliver improved patient care whilst increasing the overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the NHS. In such cases the NHS and the independent provider work together to achieve better patient services at less cost. And because they are working in harmony the chances of success are significantly increased.

Mark Lomax, Managing Director and founder of MediHome comments – “MediHome is typical of a new type of NHS provider. The disciplines, management techniques and financial controls of a small private sector organisation drives cost efficiency and competitive pricing, but also provides the commercial incentive to deliver a first class service to the patient and the hospital.”

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MediHome rate "Excellent" by Commission for Social Care Inspection

(23 May 2007)

MediHome received the top level grading from the inspectors from the Commission for Social Care Inspection who visited the company's operations in April.

As a provider of care to patients in their own homes rather than in hospital, MediHome is regulated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection, which performs an equivalent role for providers of nursing agency services and domiciliary care to that provided by the Healthcare Commission for Hospitals. Once again, MediHome's operations were rated as "Excellent", the top rating possible. 

"We are very pleased that our commitment to delivering high quality care to our patients is recognised by CSCI" said MediHome managing Director, Dr Mark Lomax.

Click on following links to download the latest CSCI reports on MediHome: Nursing Agency service report;  Domiciliary Care Agency service report.

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NHS Institute shoots MediHome video

(8 May 2007)

The NHS Institute for Innovation has commissioned Cornerstone Strategies to produce two videos to illustrate innovation in practice in the NHS.  During the week commencing 30 April, Cornerstone's film crew visited Slough, Hounslow PCT, West Middlesex Hospital, RNOH Stanmore and the homes of patients in Hounslow and Harrow to interview MediHome managers, and directors and staff from RNOH Stanmore and Hounslow PCT, and film MediHome nurses at work visiting patients from these two clients.

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MediHome contributes to CBI public sector pensions study

(17 April 2007)

The NHS Confederation Affiliates Forum has nominated MediHome's Tom Hayhoe to join the CBI's study group reviewing the hidden subsidies to public sector pensions and their impact on the level playing field for independent sector providers of public services.

"A recent study by an independent sector provider of healthcare showed that NHS employers would need to contribute 28% of staff salaries rather than the 14% they currently provide in order to meet NHS pension obligations" explains Tom Hayhoe. "Effectively there is a hidden subsidy from future generations of taxpayers. This means that most NHS services cost around 10% more than appears in the accounts of hospital trusts and PCT providers."

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Fifth birthday milestones for MediHome

(12 April 2007)

MediHome celebrates its fifth birthday later this month. 

Founded in April 2002 as Homeward Ltd, the company now:

  -  cares for NHS patients across north and west London

  -  provides clinical services to two successful ISTC bids

  -  supports private patients funded by all the major insurers

  -  employs over 60 staff

  -  is recognised as an innovator by various NHS bodies

  -  is pioneering application of mobile communications            ----technology in healthcare

  -  is at the forefront of the Government's drive to bring care   ----closer to home

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MediHome recruits new Director of Finance from Nations Healthcare

(19 March 2007)

Natalie Leon, formerly with Nations Healthcare, operator of Independent Treatment Centres, has joined MediHome as Director of Finance. 

Natalie previously worked in private equity with AIG Global Investment and before that in corporate finance with Arthur Andersen.   "With her healthcare experience, Natalie will be able to contribute to MediHome's continuing growth and development" said MediHome founder and managing director Mark Lomax.

MediHome to exhibit at NHS Confederation Conference

(19 March 2007)

MediHome, the hospital care at home company, has announced that it will be exhibiting at the NHS Confederation annual conference in June and has also agreed to sponsor delegates' stationery. 

"The NHS Confederation is the best opportunity for meeting decision takers and influencers within the NHS at a single time. We are very pleased be supporting the conference and to be able to show delegates what we offer." says Tom Hayhoe, MediHome's business development director.  

The NHS Confederation Conference takes place at ExCeL  between 20-22 June. Click here for link.

MediHome appoints Director of Nursing

(13 February 2007)

MediHome has announced that Carrie Stone has been appointed Director of Nursing. 

Carrie is currently Head of Nursing at North West London Hospital Trust, having having worked in a senior positions in the NHS for many years.  She previously coordinated  International Recruitment for all professional groups across London on behalf of the five SHA’s in the London Sector from January 2003 to April 2004.  She also led the national Philippine Nursing project for the Department of Health and was a participant on the Kings Fund/ Johnson and Johnson Nurse Leadership programme

Nursing Standard article " Revolution in post-op nursing" focuses on MediHome service

(24 January 2007)

Nursing Standard featured MediHome's nursing services in a 3 page feature in its 24th January edition.  Click here to download article (2MB pdf file)

O2 supports MediHome's Virtual Ward mobile application

(20 December 2006)

O2, one of the UK’s largest mobile operators has provided the infrastructure and connectivity for an innovative application that will enable hospital patients to complete their recovery at home. 

MediHome, the specialists in nursing care at home, has implemented the recently released MACIC (Mobile Autonomous Clinical Information Capture) using O2’s extensive UK-wide network as the backbone. MACIC is a web based mobile application which enables healthcare professionals to collect and update the patient’s electronic record at the point of delivery, in this case the patient’s home.  

Mark Lomax, MediHome’s Managing Director explains – “O2 and MACIC provide us with the ability to deliver the highest standard of care for patients recovering at home. We are equipping all our nurses[TH1]  with O2 PDAs which in turn are connected to MACIC’s extensive Electronic Patient Record (EPR) database. This means that we record vital signs, medication administered, observations and, where required, capture wound images. This information is input there and then, on site in the patient’s home, and is immediately available to the hospital and Consultant.”

MediHome’s service is effectively an extension of the hospital ward, but with all the added benefits to the patient of being in the comfort of their own home and surrounded by caring family and friends. Evidence from overseas, where this pattern of care is widespread, confirms that patients recover quicker due to improved diet, sleep and familiar surroundings. The risk of hospital infection is also minimised. By creating the ‘Virtual Ward’ MediHome alleviates the pressure on hospital beds and helps speed the recovery of patients.   

Nick Dyer, Managing Director of Evaware, the providers of MACIC, takes up the story – “MACIC is based on our successful Project E-vita system which provides comprehensive patient information. It also provides a wealth of management data and reports to allow health care managers to analyse the types and volumes of services being provided and to be able to plan with greater accuracy future needs. MACIC is based on SNOMED the agreed International Standard for communication between healthcare professionals.”

John Smith, O2’s Operations Director comments – “O2 is at the forefront of mobile applications. Many of the applications we have seen to date have made field staff more effective and in some cases opened up new ways of doing business. MACIC now extends the range of applications to healthcare professionals.”

Mark Lomax concludes – “Patient care at home is an ever increasing trend within the public and private sectors of the healthcare marketplace in the UK. By using technology, such as O2 and MACIC, we have raised the bar in terms of delivering healthcare services.”

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MediHome cares for Hounslow patients

(4 December 2006)

MediHome, the Hospital Care at Home company, has started caring for NHS patients in Hounslow.  Commissioned by Hounslow PCT, MediHome's support will allow patients from West Middlesex Hospital to return home early and be cared for by the company's nurses.  The service will also mean that some patients who only require intravenous drugs can return home without require an inpatient admission.

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Former RCN Policy Director joins MediHome Clinical Governance Committee

(13 November 2006)

The board of MediHome, the Hospital Care at Home company, has completed the appointments to the company's Clinical Governance with the appointment of Pippa Gough.

Pippa Gough is a Senior Fellow at the King's Fund.  She has a national profile as a nurse and has held a number of senior national positions, most recently,  prior to the King's Fund, that of Director of Policy and Head of the Policy Unit at the Royal College of Nursing, and previously as acting director of policy for the UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

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Professor Rory Shaw and Caroline Millington join MediHome Clinical Governance Committee

(26 October 2006)

The board of MediHome, the Hospital Care at Home company, has appointed two external members to the company's Clinical Governance Committee.

Professor Rory Shaw is Medical Director at the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and served as chairman of the National Patient Safety Agency between 2001 and 2005.

Caroline Millington was chairman of the North West London Strategic Health Authority until June this year and is a former Controller of Production for BBC Radio.

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Hospital Care at Home Company welcomes Government proposals to restructure NHS tariff

(19th October 2006)

MediHome, the Hospital Care at Home company welcomed the announcement by a government minister reported in today’s Health Service Journal of a change to NHS financial arrangements that will encourage more care at home.

Speaking to Health Services Journal, Lord Warner, Minister for Health announced that he is working with national clinical directors for older people’s services and for coronary heart disease to see how the tariff system can be unbundled so Primary Care Trusts are rewarded for moving patients out of hospital. He also announced demonstration projects covering other specialities including urology and general surgery.  The government’ s proposals, to be announced in detail in two weeks time, will also give more flexibility to local hospitals and PCTs to vary the national tariff locally to fund patients returning home sooner.  “We want to encourage people locally to develop initiatives.  If commissioners and providers can agree on this then we will be encouraging that to develop” Lord Warner told HSJ.

Mark Lomax, Managing Director of MediHome Limited, which provides acute hospital care to patients in their own homes, said “This is an extremely welcome development.  The existing tariff arrangements keep people in hospital who want to be at home and all the evidence shows will recover faster at home.  And what’s more, the existing arrangements are more expensive than having a company like MediHome provide care for patients at home.”

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Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital appoints MediHome to provide Hospital-Care-At-Home service

(16th October 2006)

MediHome Limited, the Hospital-Care-At-Home company, has started caring for patients recovering from operations at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore,.  The patients remain under the care of their RNOH consultant but  return home within a few days of their operations, several days sooner than nomal, to receive care from MediHome Nurses.

MediHome Nurse have been providing this service to patients with private medical insurance since 2003 and has treated small numbers of NHS before as part of research trials at Imperial College, but the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital is the first NHS hospital trust to use MediHome Nurses on a large scale.

Dr Mark Lomax, Managing Director of MediHome, said: “This is a very exciting development both for RNOH and for MediHome.  We know from our own experience that patients prefer to be at home.  There is also widespread evidence from overseas that patients recover from operations like hip and knee joint replacements faster in their own homes. We are very pleased to be working with a hospital like RNOH at the leading edge of best practice in orthopaedic surgery ."

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MediHome helps Hillingdon PCT prevent expensive hospital admissions

(29th September 2006)

Hillingdon Primary Care Trust has appointed MediHome Limited, the Hospital-Care-At-Home company, to provide care for Hillingdon patients in their own homes rather than in hospital.  Hillingdon residents requiring treatment with intravenous antibiotics will be referred by the district nurses working in the PCT's Rapid Response Team.

The new service is being introduced as the PCT is working to reduce its financial deficit, but Hillingdon PCT and MediHome are at pains to explain that the service is being introduced because of its benefits to patients.

Dr Mark Lomax, Managing Director of MediHome, said: “This is a win-win for Hillingdon PCT.  Caring for patients at home is much less expensive than a hospital admission, but patients prefer to be cared for at home and there is plenty of evidence that clinical outcomes at least as good in home as in hospital, and often better."

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Clinicenta partners with MediHome to provide

Hospital-Care-At-Home services to patients in South London

(13th September 2006)

NHS patients will soon be able to choose to recover at home under the care of nurses from MediHome Limited, the Hospital-Care-At-Home company. MediHome, in partnership with Clinicenta, will provide this service for two new surgical treatment centres in South London.

MediHome Nurses will care for patients in their own homes following a wide range of operations instead of having to remain in hospital.  These new surgical treatment centres are part of the Government’s programme to widen the choice available to NHS patients.  Clinicenta’s two surgical units will start treating patients in April 2008.

David Highton, Managing Director of Clinicenta, said: “We are very pleased to be working with MediHome to deliver this innovative approach to patient care.  NHS patients choosing to have their operations with Clinicenta will be able to enjoy a service that until now has only been available to patients who can afford private treatment.”

Dr Mark Lomax, Managing Director of MediHome, said: “This is an exciting new development for patients in South London.  We are bringing a model of best practice nursing care that is well established overseas to the NHS.  International evidence and our own experience shows that patients prefer to be cared for in their own homes, where they recover faster and avoid the risk of hospital acquired infections.”

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Don Hanson has joined the Board of MediHome Limited

(7th July 2006)

MediHome, the UK’s leading Hospital-Care-At-Home Company has announced the appointment of Don Hanson to the Board of Directors. 

Don Hanson brings a wealth of business experience to MediHome following many years as a managing partner with Andersen World-wide, the parent of Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and Arthur Andersen. 

Don Hanson comments – “I am delighted to be joining MediHome at this exciting time in its development. The company has established a clear and unique niche in the healthcare market and one that has the potential for significant growth. Managing that growth will represent a key challenge for the company and I look forward to being part of that success.” 

Dr Mark Lomax, Managing Director of MediHome comments on the appointment – “We are delighted to get Don on board. His strong background in management will bring added weight to our team. As a company we are ready for the next stage and with Don’s guidance I am confident we will build on the excellent growth that we have achieved so far.”

Since retiring from Andersen in 1997 Don has been an investor and provider of seed capital for many start ups and early stage companies. He is also active in emerging market investments in Russia, Vietnam, Thailand and several African countries.

Don is Chairman of Georgica Plc an Aim listed company in the leisure industry and is Chairman of the Manchester University Pension Fund as well as being Chairman or Board member of several small companies where he has provided early stage capital. 

Don concludes – “We have an excellent team in place and I am pleased to have the opportunity to be part of MediHome. Going forward our strategy will continue to be outstanding patient care supported by a strong technical infrastructure.”

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MediHome pioneers use of Electronic Patient Record System

(5th July 2006)

MediHome, the Hospital-Care-At-Home Company, has implemented the Project E-vita Patient Record System from Evaware to further improve patient care and provide Consultants and Clinicians with up to the minute reports. The MediHome service provides high impact, short-term nursing care following an acute hospital admission to patients in the comfort of their own homes. 

Project E-vita has been implemented by MediHome to ensure that their service continues to meet the high standards of patient care whilst enabling Consultants and Clinicians to retain control of the patient’s treatment and recovery. Using the latest Internet technology Project E-vita allows information to be more easily shared by Clinicians and Healthcare providers thereby improving decision making and patient care.  MediHome’s implementation of Project E-vita creates a community of Healthcare professionals and Clinicians, wherever they are based, with access to the patient’s medical records and status.

The Project E-vita system allows the storage of images and documents, ICD Diagnostics, office integration and code cross mapping.  This allows MediHome to communicate more information to a wider audience faster than by any other means. 

Charles Whiffin, MediHome’s Finance and Systems Director explains – “Quality of patient care is the number one priority for MediHome and therefore technology has an important part to play. Project E-vita provides us with a full Healthcare management and Electronic Patient Records system and therefore the ability to fully support the patient as well as meeting the needs of the hospital. Patients in our care are still the responsibility of the hospital, it is therefore imperative that we provide them with all relevant information, just as if the patient was still in the ward. The Project E-vita system allows us to provide the very latest status of the patient and at the same time provide access to X-Rays, Wound Images, ECG Reports, Blood Tests and other key data.” 

Nick Dyer, Managing Director of Evaware, takes the story further – “We have developed the Project E-vita system to go beyond just patient care. The system provides a wealth of management and administrative information to allow health care managers to analyse the types and volumes of services being provided and to be able to plan with greater accuracy future needs. Project E-vita is fully web based and is supported 24*7.” 

Charles Whiffin, continues – “Immediately following each patient visit our nursing staff update the records. This means that we provide instant and up to date information accessible at any time of the day or night. Consultants can therefore access their patients’ records using a web browser to conduct a Virtual Ward Round within minutes, without leaving their desk or home. Consultants can even use the system to provide us with further instructions or modify the treatment being provided. What the system does not replace is the commonsense approach of picking up the phone when we spot any kind of abnormality in the recovery of the patient” 

MediHome’s use of Project E-vita precedes the National Programme for IT’s (NPfIT) own implementation of an Electronic Patient Reporting system and is already delivering the kind of increased levels of efficiency and patient care anticipated by the Connecting for Health initiative.

Charles Whiffin concludes – “In due course we anticipate being able to integrate with the NPfIT system and further extend the value of our service. Our implementation of Project E-vita further demonstrates the effectiveness of the private sector working in conjunction with the NHS to deliver improved health care whilst driving down costs.”

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MediHome features in NHS Confederation Showcase Report  (15th June 2006)

MediHome, the Hospital-Care-At-Home Company has received the accolade of being included in the Showcase Report launched today at the NHS Confederation Annual Conference and Exhibition at the International Conference Centre, Birmingham.  The Report -  ‘Independent providers – making a difference in the NHS’ recognises MediHome as a leading independent provider of services to the NHS.

The report shows the value that independent sector providers are making in the NHS, and highlights innovative services that help cut waiting times, reduce length of stay in hospital and drive down costs, saving the NHS money whilst benefiting patients. 

Dr Gill Morgan DBE, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation says in the preface to the Report, “I have long been impressed by the difference independent providers make at a time of significant change in the health service.  It is easy to forget that all providers of care are focused on improving the lives of patients.  Like their NHS colleagues, the independent sector makes significant and wide-ranging improvements to the lives of NHS patients in their care”.