NHS Trusts face replacing half of all CT and MRI scanners over the next four years at a time when they must deliver a 17% cut to their equipment budget, a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) inquiry has heard.
The Committee was convened to discuss the conclusions of a National Audit Office (NAO) report, Managing High Value Capital Equipment in the NHS in England, published earlier this year, which found efforts to drive value for money from the NHS equipment budget being “frustrated” by Trusts’ failure to collaborate. The NAO report examined Trusts’ planning, procurement, and use of expensive medical equipment in three areas: CT scanners, MRI machines, and linear accelerators. It recommended that, to maximise taxpayer value, and secure best prices, NHS Trusts collaborate in purchasing such expensive capital equipment, a view echoed by NHS Supply Chain at the recent inquiry. Appearing in front of the Committee, Andy Brown, NHS Supply Chain MD, Diagnostics, said: “NHS Trusts need to look at the whole lifecycle cost of their medical equipment to plan efficiently and to buy at best price. Implementing a significant budget cut at a time when half of scanning and imaging equipment reaches the end of its lifecycle is a major challenge, but nonetheless achievable if Trusts decide to work with NHS Supply Chain and exercise their joint buying power.”
