About – National Medical Equipment Management Project

Origin of the National Medical Equipment Database project goes back to 2015 – from the Scottish Assets and Facilities Report (SAFR) Technical Expert Group.
Picked up under the Shared Services Agenda in 2016 as a Once for Scotland initiative.
Final business case produced in May 2019.
There was broad support but funding was not secured so the project was held in abeyance.

The Covid-19 virus came to the United Kingdom and national lockdown started on March 2020.
Suddenly there was intense interest in what medical equipment we had, how much we had and where it was across the country.
Data was gathered manually from the health boards on key medical equipment, collated into spreadsheets, cleansed and harmonised to made workable.
The process could take days instead of the minutes that it could have – if only there was a National Database!
A revised business case was developed in collaboration with a parallel work-stream around capital replacement of Imaging / High-End Equipment
Presented to the National Infrastructure Board
Funding agreed

When facing the greatest public health emergency that this country has tackled for generations, one of the most impactful tools at our disposal was the power of data.
Deliver better treatment for patients, better health results for people who need care and support, and better decision making, research, and support for our colleagues on the front line.
Harnessing data to improve patient and service user safety.
Staff can only do their best when they have the right information, so staff will have easy access to the right information to provide the best possible care.
Modernising our data architecture
Promoting and developing data and technical standards.

The National Infrastructure Board will have the authority to mandate action (and oversee compliance) from NHS Boards on any national information requests, and/or any remedial or improvement works it deems necessary.
It will determine national priorities for infrastructure change and investment, maintenance of the retained estate, and disposal of redundant estate.

Agreed funding of £324k for the project from the NIB
Additional funding of £83k to cleanse and data transformation – details coming up (Medical Devices and Legislation Unit)

Data provided by all Health Boards by 5/11/21
Training local Health Board staff on new fields GMDN, GTINs, etc. in Jan/ Feb 2022
Data cleansing and transformation by Feb 2022
Tender started before Christmas
Supplier identified late summer
Transition to the national database complete in financial year 22/23

Initially Serial number/ Brand/ Model/ Category/ Purchase Date

Plus any codes we intend to add GMDN, EMDN, UNSPSC, UDI DI, manufacturer’s part code

Legacy data

Size of the current database

When you require record patient data

What medical conditions

Volume of occasions e.g. 100 patients, or 10% of the population etc

General up to now

Next Stage

Series of quarterly meetings to update Health Boards on progress
Local meetings – with Health Boards and others you feel need to be involved in the local implementation (probably 4-5 in each Health Board area) e.g. could be a Facilities Director, or someone from your planning department or IT department.