Archived: Pharmaxo Pharmacy Services Limited

Pharmaxo Pharmacy Services Limited is a provider of clinical homecare services, specifically the delivery of medicines to patients in their own home. The service also provide nursing support to train and/or administer the medicines where required.

We rated this service as good because:

• The service ensured it had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. The number of nurse-led services (medicines administration that required the attendance of a nurse) had significantly increased over the last 12 months and there was an action plan in place to increase recruitment. The service did not set up new nurse-led services with NHS trusts if there was not enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe.
• Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risks well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. Staff completed competency assessments for the administration of medicines prescribed and managed medicines safely. The service managed incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• The service completed clinical pathway meetings with referring services, which detailed the service specific requirements. The referring clinical teams were responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment and patient outcomes and the service worked effectively with these external teams to provide good care and benefit patients.
• The service provided care and treatment based on national guidance and evidence-based practice. Staff protected the rights of patients in their care. Staff supported patients to make informed decisions about their care and treatment. The service made sure staff were competent for their roles.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and helped them to understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients. The patients we spoke with were happy with their care and described the service as ‘amazing’ and ‘efficient’.
• The service planned and provided care in a way that met the needs of the communities it served. It also worked with others in the wider system and local organisations to plan care.
• The service was inclusive and took account of patients’ individual needs and preferences. Staff made reasonable adjustments to help patients access services.
• People could access the service when they needed it and received the right care in a timely way.
• It was easy for people to give feedback and raise concerns about care received. The service treated concerns and complaints seriously, investigated them and shared lessons learnt with all staff. The service included patients in the investigation of their complaint.
• Managers were approachable, supportive, and had the skills and knowledge to ensure patients received a quality service. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care.

However:

• Not all staff received regular clinical supervision from their managers. Although managers completed field visits to observe staff competence and provide support, the regularity of these were inconsistent and some staff told us that they did not receive clinical supervision. However, the service had developed a clinical supervision policy the day before the inspection and were due to implement this for registered nurses.
• Although managers were proactively trying to recruit more nurses, demand for the service had grown significantly in recent months. Nursing staff told us they worked long hours and some overtime and would benefit from more staff.