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Report calls for reform of NHS purchasing methods
25/10/2011
The NHS in England has come in for stinging criticism for the way in which it purchases its most expensive medical equipment.
The report from the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, found that they sales and procurement methods used by the NHS often mean that taxpayers get very poor value for money and patients experience delays in their treatment.
The report has accounted for all the hi-tech scanners and radiotherapy equipment currently owned by the English NHS, which is valued at more than £1 billion. The process of replacing much of this equipment in the next few years - including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners and Linear Accelerator machines - must take advantage of bulk-buying to get better deals, according to the report.
The Committee determined that purchasing is currently "fragmented and unco-ordinated" and that it should be "bundled together" across trusts, in order to take advantage of joint buying power.
Margaret Hodge MP, the chair of the PAC, said that they had been shocked by the variations in usage of some machines, with use of CT scanners varying between 7,800 to 22,000 scans every year.
Following the publication of the report, Health Minister Simon Burns, said it would become a major government mission to root out waste.
"Already, the NHS has saved up to 15 per cent on scanners by working with NHS supply chain to co-ordinate large orders over time with other trusts," he said. "This is the NHS working smarter, but full savings will not be seen until all trusts make use of this system."
The report from the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, found that they sales and procurement methods used by the NHS often mean that taxpayers get very poor value for money and patients experience delays in their treatment.
The report has accounted for all the hi-tech scanners and radiotherapy equipment currently owned by the English NHS, which is valued at more than £1 billion. The process of replacing much of this equipment in the next few years - including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners and Linear Accelerator machines - must take advantage of bulk-buying to get better deals, according to the report.
The Committee determined that purchasing is currently "fragmented and unco-ordinated" and that it should be "bundled together" across trusts, in order to take advantage of joint buying power.
Margaret Hodge MP, the chair of the PAC, said that they had been shocked by the variations in usage of some machines, with use of CT scanners varying between 7,800 to 22,000 scans every year.
Following the publication of the report, Health Minister Simon Burns, said it would become a major government mission to root out waste.
"Already, the NHS has saved up to 15 per cent on scanners by working with NHS supply chain to co-ordinate large orders over time with other trusts," he said. "This is the NHS working smarter, but full savings will not be seen until all trusts make use of this system."
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