A website for people with HIV at The Courtyard Clinic
St. George's Healthcare Trust, Blackshaw Road, Tooting, London, SW17 0QT. Tel: 020 8725 3353
THE COURTYARD'S HOME DELIVERY SERVICE
Go straight to the Home Delivery Stories
An Introduction
This is a service where HIV medication can be delivered directly to your home.The Hospital Trust has appointed an independent community based pharmacy to deliver your HIV medication directly to your home. The name of the pharmacy is InteCare Homecare Ltd (InteCare).
We introduced this service to enable you, as a patient, to have access to a service that could give you more flexibility and choice of how you receive your medicines.
No.
We will complete an eligibility questionnaire with you, to find out if you are suitable to join the service. The doctor will check if your medical condition is suitable as well.
If you are suitable to join the service, a member of the hospital Pharmacy staff will explain the whole process in detail to you. A registration form will need to be completed. We will ask you to sign the registration form to give your consent.
Yes.
The hospital doctors and nurses will continue to provide your medical care. You will still need to come for blood tests and check ups. The number of visits to hospital in a year will be reduced. You will usually have 4 months of medication delivered to you. You will not need to wait for your HIV medicines in Pharmacy.
All InteCare staff respect your confidentiality, just like the staff in the Courtyard Clinic.
· We will explain the process to you in detail at the point of registration. We will answer any questions you have.
· When you next see the Doctor you will receive a Home Delivery Prescription
· You will bring the prescription to Courtyard Pharmacy
· We may ask you how you are doing with your medicines
· InteCare will contact you to arrange a delivery date and time.
· You will receive your delivery of medicines to your chosen address
If at any point you do not meet the eligibility requirements we will ask you to come off the service. In some cases this may be short term. We will discuss the reasons with you when this happens.
If you have any problems or concerns let the Clinic Staff know. There may be minor problems at the beginning, which could be sorted out. If the problems cannot be solved you can leave the service at any point and return to getting your medicines from the hospital pharmacy. Choosing to leave the service will not affect your medical care.
Speak to any member of the Courtyard HIV Clinic if you are interested in joining or would like further details.
Courtyard Clinic Pharmacy Staff - contact telephone no. 020 8725 1803
I have had home delivery of my medication now for around 18 months and can definitely recommend it. There’s no waiting at the clinic pharmacy, I just hand in my prescription and go. Then, around a week later, the home delivery company calls my mobile to arrange a date for delivery – they’re always very discreet and make sure it’s me on the phone before saying why they’re calling. As I work Monday to Friday I always have a Saturday delivery and they give you a 2 hr window in which they’ll deliver (for example between 10am and noon), so there’s no waiting in all day – I wish every company was like that! They also give you an easy to remember password which you’ll need to give the delivery driver before he hands over the goods.
They’ve always delivered in the 2 hour window we’ve agreed, and the van is a plain white van with no logo so neighbours can’t tell what’s being delivered. The medication comes in a plain brown cardboard box or two with just a small address sticker on, so again, no one can tell what’s in it. Having confirmed your name the driver asks for the password and to sign a delivery note – and that’s it! I’ve always received the complete order with nothing missing, but pharmacy at the clinic are always available on the phone and can supply anything missed or a temporary supply so you’ll never run out of medication.
So, for me, this is a brilliant service, cutting down the amount of time I have to spend in clinic during my working hours – which helps avoid taking time off or explaining to work where I’ve been for so long. It also actually saves the clinic money because they get a great rate on the medications, only pay a small delivery charge and avoid paying VAT on the medications by using home delivery. It also helps other clinic users because mine is one less prescription the pharmacy has to get ready while everyone is waiting – so I feel I’m doing my bit to help the clinic too. When you think about it, if more of us had home delivery, the van could make more calls in the area and it would be even more efficient.
Andy
My introduction to the home delivery service has not been without its complications. I was informed that I would receive a telephone call notifying me of the two hour slot for the following day. I waited but received no call. I telephoned the next morning (the delivery day) and explained that I had not had any confirmation. They did confirm that my delivery date was going to be later that day and that someone would call or text to say when they are near. She apologised and explained that the weather conditions were causing deliveries to be later than scheduled. This was fair enough as there were torrential downpours for most of that day. However, I still received no call or text but instead my delivery arrived, two hours and twenty minutes later. The contents were correct and complete. Forty minutes later, I received a text to say that my delivery will be with me within the next two hours. I got all of my medication, on the day it was expected but not a very swift experience. I am going to try it once more.
Wayne