Patient at home service start first patient on innovative medication pump

By Thilo Pillay, senior pharmacist/ clinical specialty

support - patient at home

In the patient at home service, we have begun an area of practice that has many benefits for our patients and our people. We started our first patient, David Fegan, from Hunsdon in Ware (pictured, right), on a Baxter Elastomeric Infuser, which is a nonelectronic medication pump that is designed to deliver intravenous antibiotics to the patient, before he returned home.

This is an innovative new practice that has only been introduced in a few trusts around the country. Medication is pumped gently through to the delivery tube and into the patient’s catheter/ port and is changed once a day.

Our team can administer a range of antibiotics over 24 hours. The infuser enables the patient to be cared for in the comfort of their own home, rather than staying in hospital, and to receive their medication whilst carrying out their everyday activities.

This also supports us to enhance patient flow and create capacity within our ward areas to provide care for other patients. Thank you to everyone involved. For more information, please contact me at thiloshini.pillay1@nhs.net.

Note: The patient at home team transitioned from PAHT to being managed by Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT), who play a key role in delivering the Virtual Hospital service and work closely with the Care Coordination Centre, on 3 April.

To refer a patient who lives in Hertfordshire or West Essex: y Refer via the Virtual Hospital form available on AlexNet > y Refer via the dedicated hotline for professionals: 07581 013636 (between 8am-8pm, seven days a week) y Refer via email at: epunft. virtualhospital@nhs.net

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