EBME Forums Forums Management Equipment Libraries return of infusion devices

The problem is the old chestnut I’m afraid, every Hospital/Trust is different, no two EBMEs or Libraries appear to be the same.

The management support, equipment range, amount of kit, budget and personnel numbers are all different.

We managed to get a Library because the Quality Care Commission was not happy with the way mattresses were cleaned and records kept. Nothing to do with the multiple benefits that a Library can give.


Lee

Your right, you can talk till you are blue in the face about the benefits but as soon as they wont reach a target its arse twitching session and the funds are available. We find the same with equipment, no money available but you say that a ward has to close due to not enough equipment and hey presto someone found some.

If the ebme departments held an equipment budget it would cut down in a lot of pissing about. We know when stuff is coming to the end of its life and instead of throwing good money after bad replace it.
We spend alot of our time giving the wards scrap notes, over and over again for the same kit.(they keep on losing them) The kit doesnt get bought but there appears another layer of buerocacy sorry I meant management.

Has anyone tried a rental system in an equipment library?

At least then the equipment should be returned and getting funding for replacement equipment would be forthcoming.

For years there was talk of inter-departmental charging with in this Trust but “surprise surprise” we (Med Eng) were never allowed to take part.

Finance were probably worried about the money we would "rake" in.

Lee

Havn't tried a rental system, but we do have an alternate method that seems to work for us.

We have a set amount that we charge the hospital for the maintenance of Infusion devices over the year. This charge is levied against the Wards every month. At the start of each month we produce a pie chart that represents the usage of Infusion devices against each Ward. This information is obtained from our Library database as we record all usage. If you use more devices in that month than another Ward then your bill is higher.

We, (EME) are happy because we get the same income each month. The hospital is happy because other than annual incremental increases, the total charge to the trust remains the same each month. The Wards are happy with the arrangement as well.

Are you an employee of the Trust?

Lee

Certainly am. We are not PFI or anything like that. A normal? NHS EME department with an Equipment Library part of the department.

Did the equipment come from the Wards originally or was the equipment purchased specifically for the Library?

At Hereford it came from the Wards and I can just imagine the screaming if we tried to charge Wards for using kit that they've supplied.

In fact I can imagine them taking the kit back and hiding it; which takes this thread full circle.

Lee

Quick question from this side of the world. Is the normal system within the NHS that the library is set up and contoled by the biomeds?
In the only direct experience I have of this sort of system the library was controled (and I use the term losely) by an independant group with some connection to the clinical management of the hospital. Biomed were kept, very much, at arms length, except of course when they needed equipment tested/fixed in a hurry.

Lee - The equipment did come from the Wards originally, about 9 years ago in fact. We didn't have much of a problem getting then to release the equipment to us at the start but that is another story. However, as we have managed over the years to prove that we can control the use of devices, we have been able to purchase more pumps for the trust when they are needed. It was pretty easy to make the case when you have all the records of use etc.

DaveC - Not sure if there is a normal system or not wrt Biomeds controlling the use of devices via an Equipment Library in the NHS. It works for us here as the Library guys bring the devices straight to us in EME for repair or PM etc without us having to go looking for them.