Materials Management innovates to save Trust spend and time

Gloucestershire Managed Services (GMS) is giving back much needed time to clinical teams and saving thousands of pounds in the process thanks to its new streamlined service for ordering stock for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The GMS Materials Management service arm which is responsible for procuring and distributing goods and supplies has saved the Trust nearly £500,000 so far this year, money which will go back to hospital wards and departments to spend on patient care.

The team, which has ordered over £3 million worth of one-off additional supplies this year on top of the usual daily orders, offers a one-stop-shop. It has vowed to make the process as easy as possible internally with easy ordering, a ‘communications promise’ to keep clinical teams updated on progress and to also help them keep on top of stock control.

Barry Conway, Head of Materials Management, Gloucestershire Managed Services (GMS) said, “We want to ensure we get the best possible price for all our supplies and ensure that there is efficiency in the NHS Trust. With our new streamlined service any money saved is ploughed back into the hospital and it enables nurses and doctors to concentrate on patient care instead of administration. We are always looking for ways to do things better and innovate we are keen to build upon this.”

The Materials Management team, which is part of GMS worked alongside Gloucestershire Hospitals Finance team to identify the efficiency saving mechanism.

Steve Perkins, Director of Operational Finance at Gloucestershire Hospitals said: “ It’s great to see the impact of partnership working supporting our sustainability challenge, which helps enable us to continue delivering high quality care across the Trust”

Veronica Betancor Jimenez, Nurse at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been very positive about the new initiative, “Being able to order most of our products by simply sending an email to Materials Management has made my life easier at work. The items I order tend to come within a few days and if I have any problems, they email me back rapidly. This system seems to work more efficiently too and I am very satisfied with it.”