24 January 2023
Mark, from Fife, has rheumatoid arthritis which is treated with a weekly injection delivered to his home through Sciensus. This saves him the discomfort of having to travel to the hospital pharmacy to collect the temperature-controlled medication.
Keen golfer Mark has seen his quality of life suffer since being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis nearly five years ago, but has nothing but praise for the Sciensus service that delivers his weekly medication.
There are over 400,000 people in the UK living with rheumatoid arthritis, which is the second most common form of arthritis. Early diagnosis and taking medication as prescribed, is helping many people have periods of months or even years between flares allowing them to continue normal activities.
Mark said: “It’s not just my mobility that suffers, but my mental health too. I’ve always been an active guy, so this diagnosis has been a blow.
“It’s been a long road through the GP and the rheumatology team at the local hospital to get the right medication, but I feel that now things are looking more positive and Sciensus makes getting my treatment straightforward.”
Mark administers his medication via injection into the leg. A four-week supply is sent every month which is delivered at the right temperature thanks to the refrigeration units in the Sciensus fleet of vehicles. The service provides seamless, reliable cold-chain deliveries of medication that has been safely prepared, stored and transported. A sharps bin is also provided for safe disposal of the injector pens, which the delivery drivers take once full.
Thankful for a reliable service
Before each delivery Mark receives a text that alerts him to an email which asks for confirmation of how much medication remains and provides a date and time of the next delivery, which is usually as the last pen of the previous delivery is due to be administered.
Mark says: “It’s such a reliable service. I always know when they will come and they are always on time. I had to speak to patient services when I was anxious about the time it would take to get my medication and they went way above and beyond to make sure I could get my medication as soon as I possibly could. She took things into her own hands and called me back exactly when she said she would. It really makes you feel like they care.”
“They did offer for a Sciensus nurse to come and administer the injection, but I elected not to as I’m happy to do this myself. It’s helpful to know this is something that they can do should the need arise.
“Since being on the latest medication it’s really made quite a difference to me and I’ve gone from having to spend up to 20 hours in bed a day to being able to get up and about.”
As the medication needs to be stored in a temperature-controlled environment if Mark did not receive the service from Sciensus then a drive to the hospital pharmacy would be in order.
Mark said: “It means a lot to me that they bring it to me because sometimes my joints and my knees don’t allow me to comfortably get into my car. Plus, I’d have to take a cool bag with me so it’s much more reassuring to know it comes straight to my door safely.”