Procurement
Huddersfield, with compelling results. Across two NHS Trusts, the mattresses achieved a 70% reduction in dynamic mattress use, 80% reduction in treatment costs for pressure ulcer care, and near zero mattress failure rates. In practical terms, this equated to annual
savings of over £54,000 across just 57 beds, with substantial improvements in patient outcomes and nursing workflow. At St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals, the Trust previously replaced around 450 mattresses per year due to cover failure. During a 15-month trial of 40 Trezzo mattresses, zero failures were reported. The Trust has since rolled out the mattresses across all pressure ulcer prevention beds and, to date, not a single manufacturing failure has occurred. Ultimately, these results demonstrate
that investing in clinically validated, durable equipment generates returns - financial, operational, and human.
Solving systemic inefficiencies However, achieving long-term value isn’t just about better products. It requires rethinking the system-wide incentives that drive NHS procurement decisions. Many procurement frameworks still prioritise upfront cost because financial planning is annualised. Budgets reset each April, and success is often measured by in-year savings rather than lifecycle outcomes. This structure discourages investment in longer- lasting assets, even when the evidence shows they deliver far greater total value. The problem is amplified by fragmented asset
visibility. Many Trusts lack comprehensive, up-to- date registers of medical devices - particularly those procured outside EBME oversight. Without accurate data on asset condition, compliance, and performance, procurement teams can’t make informed lifecycle decisions. That’s why it is important to work with Trusts to go beyond product supply, supporting them with training, asset management, service auditing, and business case development to strengthen long-term decision-making. By helping teams quantify the total cost of ownership, we can provide the evidence procurement leaders need to justify smarter investment and align value with outcomes, not price.
Compliance and patient safety - the hidden value drivers Compliance is another area where short-term
decisions can undermine long-term safety and cost-effectiveness. Take hospital beds as an example; despite
the introduction of the EN 50637:2017 standard, designed to improve safety for paediatric and smaller adult patients, many hospitals still use adult beds with improvised add-ons or locked handsets to meet baseline requirements. These retrofits may pass a checklist but fail to truly eliminate safety risks such as entrapment or falls. This highlights why effective procurement
cannot operate in isolation. To achieve real value, procurement, clinical and technical teams must work together to identify solutions that deliver optimum clinical performance while meeting compliance and budget requirements. Too often, the right products are blocked by framework restrictions or perceived cost barriers - yet these challenges can be overcome as frameworks evolve and begin to offer greater flexibility. We have seen how collaboration at this level enables Trusts to access clinically proven, compliant products through cost-efficient routes to market, ensuring both operational and patient benefits are realised. As staffing pressures grow, with 69% of NHS shifts now reporting insufficient staff numbers to deliver safe care,2
equipment must work
harder to reduce risk, simplify operation, and relieve clinical burden. Every design choice should enable safer, faster, more efficient care. In this context, value and safety are inseparable.
Technology as the bridge between cost and outcomes The NHS 10-Year Plan calls for a “fit for the future” service built on prevention, efficiency, and digital innovation. Smart, connected technology is critical to that vision. We are already advancing the next stage
of pressure area care with a 4G cloud-based platform to monitor both medical equipment performance and patient risk factors in real time. By providing clinicians with live data on equipment condition, patient movement, and interface pressures, we can support faster interventions, reduce downtime, and optimise the use of resources across whole Trusts. The expected outcomes of this technology
are profound, with faster response times, reduced downtime, optimised resource allocation and improved continuity of care across wards and Trusts.
The NHS cannot build a sustainable future on short-term savings. It must instead build it on prevention - preventing equipment failure, patient harm, waste, and inefficiency.
This isn’t about replacing clinical judgement - it’s about amplifying it. When technology provides the right insight at the right time, clinicians can act faster, prevent harm, and deliver more consistent care across departments. That’s a value you can measure in both outcomes and efficiency. The national long-term goal of the connect care
strategy is a fully connected ecosystem where every device feeds data into an integrated digital patient record. Combined with predictive analytics, this will allow Trusts to forecast equipment needs, anticipate failures, and allocate resources dynamically. The potential savings are significant, improving patient safety and operational resilience. NHS suppliers should be looking to push the needle with tech-led solutions to help support this vision.
The sustainability dimension Value-based procurement also demands a shift in how we think about sustainability. Every product failure, replacement, or disposal carries an environmental cost with short-lifespan devices increasing landfill waste, carbon emissions from transport, and the resource burden of constant replenishment. Healthcare in England is estimated to contribute between 4 -5% of the UK’s total carbon emissions,3
with medical equipment manufacture
and waste among the contributors. Every mattress or bed frame that fails prematurely adds to this footprint. Extending lifespan by even 12 months across a Trust’s inventory of 1,000 mattresses could save more than 40 tonnes of CO2
annually – the approximate equivalent of taking 25 cars off the road. By contrast, durable, high-performing equipment delivers a double win with lower total lifecycle cost and a smaller carbon footprint. Understanding how products perform over time is crucial to making evidence-based procurement decisions that reduce waste and deliver greater lifecycle value. That’s why we provide routine mattress and equipment audits for NHS partners, compiling year-on-year data that tracks durability, performance and end-of- life outcomes. This data not only demonstrates how extended product lifespan delivers measurable cost and carbon savings, but also supports more transparent decision-making. In many cases, equipment that reaches the end of its NHS service life is reallocated through charitable partnerships, extending its useful life and reducing landfill. It’s a practical example of how smarter, data-led procurement can deliver both economic and environmental dividends. Sustainable design must also focus on
materials that withstand thousands of cleaning cycles, reduce reliance on dynamic systems, and eliminate unnecessary replacements.
February 2026 I
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