As Chair of the National Homecare Medicines Committee, the Hub’s Assistant Director of Procurement, Pharmacy and Healthcare Services, Joe Bassett, was invited to give evidence to the Homecare Medicines Services Inquiry, which is being conducted by the House of Lords Select Committee, Public Services Committee.

The inquiry was set up earlier this year to examine the standards of the services which deliver medical supplies to about half a million people in England and to focus on the structures and regulations designed to ensure the quality of these services. 

“I am very impassioned about homecare medicines services, as to the value it can provide to patients and the opportunity it has to improve the care we provide to outpatients so that they can continue to live as normal lives as possible with whatever condition they are experiencing,” said Joe Bassett. 

Joe attended the Palace of Westminster last week to give oral evidence at a public session of the inquiry chaired by Baroness Morris of Yardley.  Alongside Joe, also giving evidence before the House of Lords Select Committee were Director of Medicines, Policy and Strategy at NHS England, Claire Foreman, and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England at NHS England, David Webb.

The focus of the session was on governance and procurement procedures and accountability of service providers across the delivery of homecare medicine services. Questions posed included how standards of homecare services are monitored and who is responsible for holding providers to account for the standards of the services provided to patients. 

Once the committee has considered all the written and oral evidence, the outcome of the inquiry is likely to be the publication of a report. 

The Lords Select Committee appointed the Public Services Committee to consider public services including health and education.