PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY
equipment. We also offer equipment financing, leasing, and rental, and, more recently, have seen growing demand from decommissioned Nightingale hospitals for us to maintain and store equipment under a ‘managed solutions’ agreement – for instance keeping batteries charged so that in the event of a rapid call-off should COVID-19 cases spike again, the equipment can be deployed at short notice to wherever it is required.”
An Avensys engineer servicing hospital ventilators.
streamline the whole process. We have always enjoyed an open and transparent working relationship with HMT, and it was great to be able to further strengthen the partnership on this project.”
Removing surplus equipment The Avensys Resale team subsequently returned to the now vacant hospital in Uplands two months later to collect some of the surplus equipment before taking the items to Kidderminster for reconditioning and subsequent re-sale. Francesca Stewart said: “Some of the equipment – such as examination couches – was relatively new, but for instance, certain furniture and other items wouldn’t match the colour scheme or décor of the new hospital, so became surplus to requirements. “Once we get unwanted EBME equipment back to our Kidderminster workshops, it is comprehensively overhauled, software updated, and components replaced where necessary, so that it is in full working order prior
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to sale. We re-sell and ship a wide range of reconditioned EBME devices to healthcare facilities as far afield as Australia and the Far East, not only saving the purchasers money, but also giving the buyer an assurance that the equipment is fully functional and safe. Equally, the selling hospital knows where its surplus equipment is heading, and that it won’t end up with some unsuspecting end-client in a faulty or non-compliant state with nobody having tested it before dispatch.”
Activities expand Francesca Stewart said of her team’s work: “I think it’s important to stress that Avensys Resale began life reselling surplus, secondhand medical devices, which is still our core activity. However, as this project for Swansea’s new Sancta Maria Hospital shows, the capabilities of Avensys as a whole have expanded massively in the past 3-5 years, and within the Resale Division we now sell hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of new medical equipment, as well as pre-owned
Geoff Bailey, Hospital director at Sancta Maria Hospital: “Avensys UK has been instrumental in the organisation and delivery of the project, always working with great communication and diligence”
58 Health Estate Journal March 2022
Making recommendations Francesca Stewart added that in instances where staff at a healthcare facility had only an outline idea of what new equipment it might require, the company’s engineers could make recommendations of specific devices and accessories, considering the full list costs of servicing and accessories and spare parts. She added: “As a leading EBME equipment re-seller we tend to have strong negotiating power, as well as excellent current product knowledge. The latter can be especially useful to hospitals if a clinical or Estates team is not fully up to speed with technology in a particular field. Much of the time equipment choice is consultant-led, and with private hospitals often sharing consultants who also do NHS work, it needs to fit with what the local NHS Trust is using. “We strive to offer buyers of both
secondhand and new EBME equipment value for money, and of course – as with HMT – our engineers can maintain and service the equipment, help users maximise its potential, and quickly diagnose any fault and repair it fast should it break down. Our aim is to offer a real ‘360 degree’ service.”
Complimented on a highly professional job She added: “This approach was – we feel – ably demonstrated on the new Sancta Maria Hospital contract where, working with manufacturers such as Arjo, GE, and Dräger, we were complimented on the professional manner in which we undertook this supply and logistics element of the project. The hospital is now fully open, and we will continue to provide maintenance and repair services for all of Sancta Maria’s medical devices, as well as device resale and procurement consultation services. It was a great project to work on, and its successful completion gave us much satisfaction.” Geoff Bailey, Hospital director, Sancta Maria Hospital, added: “Prior to the opening of the new Sancta Maria hospital in Swansea, Avensys UK supplied both medical and non-medical equipment, logistics and planning solutions, and consultation services. They have been instrumental in the organisation and delivery of the project, always working with great communication and diligence.”
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