Inventory management and patient level costing

Coronavirus has had a devasting impact, stretching the NHS beyond capacity, creating uncertainty, and bringing unprecedented challenge. It is also proving a significant catalyst for change, an opportunity to bring positive benefits to healthcare in a number of different ways. Technology is playing an imperative role, an ever-greater role, and will help towards a better, more efficient healthcare system. 

For instance, the challenges faced in recent months have propelled the importance of effective healthcare inventory management firmly into the spotlight. It has highlighted the extraordinary gaps in supply chain management, which have severely impacted healthcare settings across the UK and beyond.

Lack of effective inventory management systems, or indeed any systems at all means that the NHS has been battling a number of challenges across the supply chain for years. It is not a new issue. However, the issues have been accentuated by the Coronavirus outbreak, which has highlighted the real importance of effective supply chain processes and procedures to patient and frontline workers’ safety, particularly for those hospitals without systems to help them, and especially for PPE.