Wound Dressings: Procurement

(asked on 1st March 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to ensure that the NHS Supply Chain wound dressing generics project takes account of evidence comparing the cost of managing unhealed and healed wounds, and of the total cost of wound care in the NHS currently as compared with previous estimates.


This question was answered on 10th March 2016

The review of wound dressings by a dedicated working group resulted in the development of a number of clinical specifications for wound care products.

In order to progress this work, from April 2016 a new NHS Clinical Evaluation Team will be put in place. The Clinical Evaluation Team will assess wound care products through a comprehensive evaluation process, which will have extensive engagement with NHS clinical staff. Included in the process will be tissue viability and infection control nurses, clinical procurement specialists, doctors, nurses and midwives along with medicine management practitioners from community trusts.

The project’s remit is to review clinical products to identify those that enable high quality patient care whilst delivering the best outcomes for the NHS. The secondary consideration will be to identify products that could be procured more effectively through combined NHS buying power, to deliver greater overall value for money.

The Clinical Evaluation Team is made up of practising clinicians.

The project will therefore undertake assessments of the total costs and benefits of any recommendations to the overall NHS.

Reticulating Splines