Home chemotherapy: NHS and independent sector collaboration

Current government health policy calls for increased collaboration between acute and primary care, and between the NHS and the independent sector. This article describes an initiative in which an NHS trust contracted an independent company to provide home chemotherapy for patients with cancer of the colon. Home-based therapy enables patients to choose the service that suits them most, and can reduce the stress associated with their disease and treatment. It has also been found to reduce the side-effects of treatment. This article includes a case study on a patient receiving home chemotherapy which illustrates some of the benefits of the service for patients.