Although giving a commitment to “protect the NHS”, the Lib-Tory coalition government is still set to make cost savings across the health service.The recently published Health White Paper implies massive job losses through the abolition of Primary Care Trusts.The Royal College of Nursing warned that almost 27,000 health jobs faced the axe, describing the government’s pledge to protect the NHS as an “urban myth.”  The RCN added that waiting lists for operations will rise as job losses mount and the public should be “really concerned” about the impact of the cuts.

Against this background it’s even more imperative that NHS Estates Departments operate a tight ship financially while increasing staff efficiency and reducing departmental costs. Asset tracking will therefore assume a much higher profile in helping manage and control costs in order to maintain the fabric of the hospital while allowing as much money as possible to be diverted into front line services and retaining staffing levels.Using a fixed asset register can reduce the need to spend money on additional new equipment by identifying and utilising idle plant or medical machinery. Costly lease termination penalties can also be avoided by ensuring the equipment is returned or the lease renewed on time.

Equally, it will be increasingly important to manage MRI scanners for example by keeping an even tighter rein on medical equipment maintenance to ensure maximum up time for these costly pieces of technology.   Medical equipment management software can assist here by rationalising planned and breakdown maintenance schedules to ensure down time is minimised.A few packages allow resource scheduling and job prioritisation using simple to follow visual calendars that are accessible by staff at ward level.  Some packages can even be fully integrated with stock control and order requisitioning to ensure there is no break in what should be a smoothly operating supply and service chain so these high capital-high tech resources are available when they are needed.