Materials Management : The Stock Solution for Hospitals

The NHS spends some u4 billion a year on goods, equipment and services - buying everything from apples to zimmer frames. In the past problems have arisen because of the fragmented management arrangements for supplies. However, the NHS Supplies Authority will seek to solve these problems and improve efficiency and economy by providing a national supplies service throughout England by 1st October 1992. This report concerns the interface between the supplies organization and the customer, in the form of ward and department staff who order and use the bulk of the materials supplied. It identifies limitations of the service and proposes a detailed agenda for achieving both improvements in quality and savings based on good local practice."