Supporting NHS England’s commitment to consistent, transparent reporting on the performance of Homecare Medicines Services, the Hub’s Data and Pharmacy and Healthcare Services teams have developed two data dashboards. These tools provide quarterly insights into service performance across England.
NHS National Homecare Medicines Services KPI Dashboard
The National Homecare Medicines Services KPI Dashboard is designed for use by regional homecare specialists and colleagues to effectively support local chief pharmacists in delivering safe and effective homecare medicines services. It also provides NHSE’s senior responsible officer with visibility of national homecare delivery performance.
This new dashboards provide access to a single, national quarterly report, broken down by region, in a consistent format via the user-friendly Microsoft Power BI platform. It includes UK-wide data, incorporating figures from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
By consolidating data that previously required collation of multiple reports the new national dashboard reduces duplication and streamlines access. It also supports benchmarking, enabling regions to compare supplier performance with NHS peers.
Public National Homecare Medicines Services KPI Dashboard
A public version of the new national dashboard, with all commercially sensitive information removed, was also developed with input from patient and professional groups. This is now available online via a live link. It offers patients, patient groups and members of the public greater transparency and insight into the performance of Homecare Medicines Services.
Introduced by NHSE and developed by the Hub, the public dashboard meets a recommendation from the House of Lords Public Services Committee’s 2023/24 inquiry into Homecare Medicines Services for improved transparency for patients using the service, recommending:
“NHS England to develop and implement one consistent set of performance metrics. The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England should ensure that these metrics are published regularly in a consistent, standardised form to ensure meaningful public scrutiny.”
Both new dashboards draw on the National KPI definitions 20 key performance indicators (KPIs), including data on late or missed deliveries, and complaints and incidents.
Hub support
By using the Hub’s East of England Regional Homecare Medicines Services KPI Dashboard as a template and adapting it to accommodate different data sets, the new national dashboard was developed efficiently and quickly by James Smith, Business Information Analyst in the Hub’s Data team.
Darren McVee, Assistant Director Operations said: “This project is a strong example of our commitment to delivering practical, data-driven solutions.
“By working closely with our Pharmacy and Healthcare Service Team, we’ve developed a dashboard that provides clearer insights into Homecare performance whilst supporting NHS priorities.
“At the heart of this work is our dedication to providing better data-driven insights that ultimately deliver improved patient care.”
Joe Bassett, the Hub’s Assistant Director of Procurement, Pharmacy and Healthcare Services, is currently working with NHSE, on the Homecare Medicines Improvement Programme.
Joe Bassett said: “The Hub was able to swiftly support NHSE’s objective to provide national transparency in homecare medicines delivery performance by building on the regional dashboard that our members across the East of England value highly.”
“I’m passionate about Homecare Medicines Services and the value they can offer patients,” added Joe Bassett. “They improve the care we provide to outpatients, helping people live their life while managing their condition.”