The Oxford AHSN and Oxford University Hospitals have developed a package of resources to support other NHS organisations wanting to deliver intravenous antibiotics to patients in their own homes.
The OUH began using elastomeric devices to deliver IV antibiotics in patients’ homes in 2019 through ‘hospital at home’ nursing teams. Previously patients needing IV medication several times a day could only get it in hospital – even if they were otherwise well enough to be at home.
Elastomeric devices – small pumps which administer medication – are easing pressure on hospital beds and improving patient experience by enabling safe delivery of IV medication outside the hospital environment.
Being able to receive IV medication at home 24 hours a day has led to patients spending less time in hospital and avoiding unnecessary journeys into hospital. By August 2022, 180 OUH patients had benefitted, with 2,478 hospital bed days freed up.
Alison Gowdy, Clinical Innovation Adoption Manager at the Oxford AHSN, said: “We worked closely with the team at the OUH to understand how they went about introducing these devices into clinical practices, the challenges they faced and the lessons learned along with way. Now we’re sharing these to enable other trusts to bring the same benefits to their patients.”
The resources include a ‘how to’ guide and a series of supporting videos. The initiative is funded by Health Education England which is supporting roll-out across the South East.