‘Price match’ scheme helping fund frontline care

A clinician-led scheme in Sheffield has seen millions of pounds made available for frontline care through a pioneering ‘price match’ scheme.

The scheme, which drives down the cost of simple items such as anti-embolism stockings and surgical gloves, saw staff and patients work closely across seven hospitals to agree on the best product and commit to bulk buy jointly to save money.

A scoring system was used on all of the products to make sure that they met the high standard needed for use by the NHS and the product which met all of these and was deemed the best value for money was chosen. The collaboration saw 11 products changed, contributing to savings of £2 million, including a saving of £400,000 alone by switching to one type of examination glove.

Des Breen, clinical lead for the South Yorkshire Integrated Care System, said: “It was just a no-brainer to keep using products we knew were the same quality as others we could buy for less purely because each department procures them individually. We knew we had to take advantage of buying for all the hospitals at the same time; it was a lot of work but well worth it when we think of all the extra services we can use that money to provide for patients.”