updated September 2006

Here is some brief information about how the Home Delivery Scheme operates for Wharfside Patients

The scheme started on 1st December 2005 with a small number of patients to make sure everything worked properly - those initial patients were asked to feedback their experience so that any problems could be sorted out before the scheme was expanded.

Due to feedback and some other difficulties, the home delivery contractor changed to HealthCare at Home, part of Applied Dispensary Services (ADS). Arrangements have been made to move people on the original scheme over to ADS with the least inconvenience to patients as possible.

More patients are now being recruited to the Home Delivery Scheme.

Click here to see the results of that feedback and what's been done with it.

How Home Delivery works:

The home delivery scheme applies to all anti HIV drugs and a smaller number of other treatments and preventive medicines. Not all the non HIV drugs available through the clinic pharmacy are available for Home Delivery because the cost in bulk for the hospital is far cheaper than the Home Delivery company can buy them for (we are working on increasing the list of other drugs available for home delivery).

After a discussion with your clinic doctor, if you are stable on your drug regime you can decide whether to continue collecting your drugs from pharmacy, or if you prefer you can have them delivered to your local post office where you can collect them at your convenience. If you live within the M25 they can be delivered to your home or work by van drivers working for Applied Dispensary Services (ADS) - the appointed private pharmacy contractor for Wharfside.

If you choose to go on the home delivery scheme, your doctor will give you two prescriptions to start you off - one for a month's supply of drugs for you to collect from pharmacy and the other is a separate prescription which pharmacy will send to ADS for them to deliver you the remaining supplies. You make your next clinic appointment as usual.

ADS will phone you to make sure the arrangements are suitable for you and tell you when the drugs will be delivered either by post office special delivery, or for you to collect for a nearby post office (you choose which one is most convenient) or roughly when their van driver can deliver to your door (if appropriate to you). You can choose special delivery by post to your home or work, or to a post office you nominate to collect the package from.

ADS can be flexible about where they deliver, particularly if you opt to collect from a post office. If you are away for a long period and you want drugs delivered to another address, they can arrange this for you provided it is in the United Kingdom.

When you take delivery, you have to sign for the package. Packages are free from markings so there is no clue what is inside if someone else signs for them. The only markings are your name and delivery address.

Be careful - if you get someone else to sign, perhaps because you are out, will they open the package and see what's in it? If the package can't be delivered or is not collected from the Post Office, it is returned to ADS who will inform the clinic and people will want to talk to you about continuing on the scheme.

Drugs that need to be kept in the fridge can be sent by post or delivered by van, but please remember they must be put in the fridge again as soon as possible after you receive them. It is only safe to keep them out of the fridge for a set number of days ... "always read the label" . Ritonavir capsules can only be kept out of the fridge for up to 30 days and then under a temperature of 25°C or 77°F. The new version of Kaletra does not require refrigeration.

Three weeks before your next clinic appointment is due you should have bloods taken so that results are available in time. If your blood results are good, you can stay on the home delivery scheme. A new scheme is being developed to send blood results by email - when this starts we will try to inform everyone.

At your next and subsequent clnic appointments, your doctor or a nurse (depending on who you see), may give you a home delivery prescription to take to pharmacy, or a prescripton will be given straight to pharmacy (who check it and then send it on to ADS to deliver it as before).

If there are problems with your blood results, you will be contacted by one of the clinic nurses. Your doctor may want to see you more frequently and may change your medication. You may have to come off the home delivery scheme until you are stabilised again.