The Operating Theatre Journal April 2022

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Investigation into themanagement of PPE contractsThe Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) continues to deal with the contract management issues caused by the need to purchaseunprecedented volumes of PPE in 2020 due to COVID-19, with billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money still at risk, according to the National AuditOffice (NAO).Since February 2020 DHSC and its NHS procurement partner, NHS Supply Chain Co-ordination Limited (SCCL), have awarded almost 10,000 contractsfor personal protective equipment (PPE). DHSC has so far spent £12.6 billion of the total £13.1 billion it expects to spend on almost 38 billion itemsof PPE.In the spring of 2020, DHSC was operating in an extremely over-heated global market with desperate customers competing against each other,pushing up prices and buying huge volumes of PPE. To secure the unprecedented amount of PPE estimated to be needed at the start of theCOVID-19 pandemic, DHSC established two new procurement routes: the Parallel Supply Chain1, established in late March 2020; and a new UKMake route2, established in April 2020 to purchase PPE specifically from UK-based manufacturers.3 Some 394 contracts worth £7.9 billion wereawarded through these two new procurement routes, largely to new or unknown suppliers to the NHS. Of these 394 contracts,115 were awarded to51 ‘VIP lane’ suppliers: suppliers suggested by government officials, ministers’ offices, members of Parliament, senior NHS staff and other healthprofessionals.To date, DHSC has taken receipt of 31.5 billion items of PPE, with a further 1.4 billion items stored in China and 5.0 billion still to be received.Of the 31.5 billion items received, some 17.3 billion items have been delivered to frontline services and 14.2 billion items remain in UK storage.Between March 2020 and October 2021, it had cost the Department £737 million to store PPE, including penalty charges of £436 million because ithad to store PPE in containers for longer than expected.Assessing the total demand for PPE at the start of the pandemic was challenging due to the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 and the precisetechnical specifications for the PPE necessary to respond to it. DHSC estimates it now has 3.9 billion more PPE items than it needs; around 10% ofthe total PPE it purchased. The Department is trying to reduce excess stock by selling, repurposing, donating to other parts of the public sectoror recycling. It is currently spending an estimated £7 million a month storing these items.DHSC is also storing 3.6 billion PPE items that it considers are not currently suitable for frontline services, accounting for 11% of all PPE it hasreceived. Some 64% of all items assessed as not currently suitable for frontline services were procured through the Parallel Supply Chain and UKMake. Over half (53%) of 51 VIP suppliers provided some PPE that DHSC considers is not currently suitable for frontline services. In addition, some1.5 billion items of PPE currently in storage are estimated by DHSC to have passed their expiry date and therefore unable to be distributed.The Department does not have a single end-to-end stock management system and the management data it holds contains inconsistencies betweenthe volume of PPE ordered and quantities received. In data provided to the NAO, in 21 of 36 contracts there were differences of more than 1%between the number of PPE items contracted for and the number actually received. For 14 of these contracts, DHSC received a total of 107 millionfewer items than it had contracted for. In the remaining 7 contracts it received 13 million items more than it had contracted for. Discrepanciesarise for several reasons including the double counting of PPE as it is moved between locations, and some stock being missed from the count incases where it is held in storage by the supplier.DHSC has so far concluded discussions about contract disputes on 76 contracts with suppliers, worth £1.9 billion. Through contract cancellationsand variations, DHSC has reported that it has reduced costs by £572 million. DHSC continues to manage 176 contracts where it is in dispute, whereit believes it may not achieve full value for money, putting an estimated £2.7 billion at risk. DHSC assesses that 35% of these cases will not beresolved until 2023. The primary cause of contractual dispute is the quality of PPE that has been delivered.The Department is continuing to assess potential fraud across the programmes and its current estimate is that this will be between 0.5% and 5.0%of expenditure.Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/OTJNAO4228 THE OPERATING THEATRE JOURNAL www.otjonline.com
New BAOMS Council members bringdiversity and strong skillsThe British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS)Council has confirmed the members’ decision to elect three newmembers to Council for a three-year term:Carrie Newlands; Nabeela Ahmed; and Elizabeth Gruber. This alsoincluded the re-election of Anne Begley for a further three years.Consultant OMFS Anne Begley, who is based at Liverpool’s AintreeUniversity Hospital Regional Maxillofacial Unit, has already servedthree years on BAOMS Council: “I am honoured my contribution tothe association and to the specialty has been recognised by the widermembership and have been entrusted to serve on Council for a furtherthree years.”Carrie Newlands is a Consultant OMFS at the Royal Surrey CountyHospital, and Nabeela Ahmed recently returned from two yearsworking in Australia and New Zealand and is now a Consultant OMFSat Nottingham’s Queens Medical Centre. While Elizabeth Gruber is nowbased at University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group.Some of the latest representatives gather after a successful BAOMS Councilmeeting at the new Royal College of Surgeon of England offices. The photoshows L to R: Danielle Britton, Deputy Junior Trainee and Members’ Rep; Anne Begley, Consultant OMFS and Council member; Elizabeth Gruber,Consultant OMFS and Council member; Nabeela Ahmed, Consultant OMFS andCouncil member; Carrie Newlands, Consultant OMFS and Council member;and Sirisha Duggineni, Fellow in Training Deputy Representative.Operating Department Practitioner– New ZealandDo you want to work at the largest tertiary centre in the South Island?You will get work-life balance and with adventure never far away fromyour doorstep, if you are considering a move, this could well be yourbest one yet!This is your chance to join a health system that truly cares. Our clientis a world leader in the delivery of integrated healthcare, and right nowthey have the opportunity for you!As a highly skilled Anaesthetic Technician, you will be eager to playa key role in continuing their drive of constant improvement, provideexceptional care and delivery of service, and enjoy a varied and fastpaced environment.As the largest tertiary centre in the South Island their service alsoencompasses several other sites across Christchurch and housesstate of the art equipment while offering a varied case mix.The Role: Where you fit inIn this role, you will be responsible for:• Providing professional, technical, and clinical assistance toAnaesthetists.• Preparing equipment within operating theatres or areas whereanaesthesia is provided.• Anticipate problems and exceptional patient care.• Mentoring trainee Anaesthetic Technicians.You must:• Have a recognised qualification within New Zealand or internationalequivalent.• Have registration with the Medical Sciences Council (or eligibility toobtain) and an Annual Practising Certificate• Having a minimum of 2 years’ experience is preferable but notessential.• Have strong interpersonal skills.• Be motivated to embrace challenges and change as well as beingable to work in challenging environments.We can provide the successful applicants with:• Assistance with registration, immigration, and relocation processes• Reimbursement of registration fees with MSCNZ and APC• Contribution towards relocation costs• Payment for accommodation and flightsFor interviews or for any questions you may have regarding thisfantastic opportunity please contact info@accent.net.nzFree call from the UK 0808 23 444 68 or WhatsApp 006421 403143Email or call Prudence to enquire NOW:prue@accent.net.nz or UK Freephone 0808 23 444 68Commenting on the Council election, Carrie Newlands said it was a realhonour to have been elected: “The results reflect the blossoming ofinclusivity in surgery.”Colleague Nabeela Ahmed was moved by the monumental support fromher peers, and that she felt empowered by the appointment: “I amcommitted to promoting our specialty and demonstrating how diversityis compatible with being a surgeon.”Elizabeth Gruber is looking forward to serving on BAOMS Council“representing my peers and our trainees, building on the great workalready achieved and working for the future of OMFS”.BAOMS President Designate 2024-25 and Council media lead ProfessorKathy Fan commented: “These are strong candidates with a broadrange of experience and skills that will add to the strength of BAOMSCouncil. I look forward to an exceptional future for our specialty.”www.facebook.com/TheOTJFind out more 02921 680068 • e-mail admin@lawrand.com Issue 379 April 2022 9
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