Overview
Medicines errors remain a significant cause of harm across health and care services and place considerable pressure on the healthcare system. In adult social care, concerns have been raised about missed or incorrectly timed medicines, poor record keeping, inadequate staff training, and a lack of effective systems to monitor and improve medicines safety. While many initiatives have focused on hospitals and care homes, much less is known about how to improve medicines safety in homecare settings.
The Safe Home Meds Study (SAHMS) is an NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) funded project that aims to address this gap by developing and testing a Medicines Safety System (MSS) specifically designed for use in homecare. Through close collaboration with people who receive care, family carers, homecare staff, healthcare professionals, commissioners and providers, the study will develop practical solutions to improve medicines management and reduce medicines-related harm.
What is the problem and why is it important to find a solution?
Medicines errors are a persistent source of harm and place a significant burden on health and care services. In adult social care, concerns include missed or poorly timed medicines, inadequate record keeping, inconsistent staff training and a lack of effective systems to monitor and improve medicines safety. While many initiatives have focused on improving medicines safety in hospitals and care homes, homecare services have received far less attention, creating an important evidence gap.
As more people receive care in their own homes, medicines management has become increasingly complex. Homecare staff, family carers, people receiving care and healthcare professionals all play a role in supporting safe medicines use, yet little is known about how best to improve medicines safety in this setting. There is therefore an urgent need to understand the risks, challenges and opportunities for improvement within homecare medicines management.
What will we do to address this problem?
The Safe Home Meds Study (SAHMS) aims to improve medicines safety in homecare by co-designing and testing a Medicines Safety System (MSS) that reflects the realities of delivering and receiving care at home. The study will work closely with people who use homecare services, family carers, homecare workers, managers, healthcare professionals, commissioners and providers to develop practical and sustainable solutions.
The research will take place across West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and North Cumbria and will involve three stages. First, the team will explore how medicines are currently managed in homecare through document reviews, interviews and observations, identifying existing risks and areas for improvement. A short film capturing the experiences of people receiving and delivering care will also be produced to inform the design process.
Next, stakeholders will participate in experience-based co-design workshops to develop the Medicines Safety System. Potential elements include provider self-assessment tools, medicines safety indicators, error-reporting resources, educational materials and guidance for managers. The system will then be refined through pilot testing with homecare providers.
Finally, the study will assess how feasible and acceptable the Medicines Safety System is across a wider range of homecare organisations. Researchers will identify the barriers and enablers to successful implementation and develop resources to support future adoption and scale-up.
What is the potential impact?
The study will deliver a co-designed Medicines Safety System, alongside practical implementation resources and a framework to support future evaluation and wider rollout. It will provide new evidence about medicines-related risks in homecare, how safety interventions can be implemented successfully, and the organisational support needed to sustain improvements.
By improving medicines management in homecare, the Medicines Safety System has the potential to reduce medicines-related harm, prevent avoidable hospital admissions and improve the quality and safety of care delivered in people’s homes. It could also increase confidence among the homecare workforce and support more efficient and sustainable care services. Ultimately, the study aims to improve the experiences and outcomes of people receiving homecare and those involved in providing it across England.
