Managed Equipment Services
A Managed Equipment Service (MES) is the planned and coordinated approach to the purchase, installation, training, management and maintenance of medical equipment on a long-term basis. It can be as a stand-alone contract or as part of a PFI framework.
It aims to develop a 'joined-up' approach looking after every aspect of your clinical equipment needs allowing you to focus on high quality patient care and achieving national targets.
Vendor independence
Asteral is unique in the UK MES marketplace in that it is has vendor independence status. This means we do not have any particular alliance with manufacturers or suppliers of medical equipment.
This approach enables us to offer impartial advice and clinical choice across all equipment suppliers, matching your needs to the best technology solution. We believe this delivers the best value MES in the marketplace.
Benefits
The benefits of Asteral's MES are numerous to NHS Trusts, hospital management, departmental staff and patients. It delivers financial gains, an increased standard of care and operational efficiencies.
From a financial perspective it offers a stable, planned long-term strategy, moving capital equipment off the balance sheet and transferring risk away from the NHS. Procurement, maintenance, training and ongoing costs are cut by working in partnership with a specialised company. This in turn helps to achieve operational targets.
The installation of innovative medical equipment such as direct digital imaging systems readily improves the daily role of staff, making their life easier and positively improving morale. The replacement of ageing technology revolutionises the running of departments making examinations swifter and providing results more quickly. Ongoing user training and close management of maintenance through a MES also ensures the maximum uptime of equipment.
All these benefits impact on the patient. Lower waiting times, less re-scheduled appointments, swifter examinations and less anxiety associated with the care process.
Project finance
A MES ensures a stable and long-term approach, allowing planned sustainable budgeting.
Fluctuating budgets are eliminated in favour of pre-agreed fixed costs. A MES includes staff training and maintenance.
Assets are moved off balance sheet, capital charges are no longer required, and profit can be realised from the sale of legacy assets.
VAT may be recoverable on an a MES depending on the exact level of services provided.
Standards
Asteral's MES operates in accordance with all the industry's relevant statutory regulations and guidelines.
We also employ a specialised team of experienced and highly qualified equipment and commercial experts. This ensures we offer you the very best level of consultancy and project management standards.
Procurement Process
Asteral simplifies the procurement process saving you time, resources and money.
We deliver a 'joined-up' approach to procurement, maintenance and support. This ensures that at any one point in time, we have the whole picture in mind and a long-term plan at work.
Training
Asteral's MES ensures that ongoing training of staff is a priority. The biggest cause of equipment downtime is user error; Asteral works with Trust staff to radically reduce this.
Unlike many OEM equipment installations where user training is a 'one-off' session, we understand that with high staff turnover and the regular use of locums, ongoing training is a necessity.
Without such an approach, equipment is vulnerable to downtime through user errors and poses potentially dangerous clinical risks.
Maintenance
Asteral provides a coherent strategy towards equipment maintenance. A full audit trail of maintenance activities is kept. Monitoring and managing maintenance activity delivers a significant improvement in service.
Without such a strategy, third party maintenance providers or in house engineering teams are rarely monitored and equipment downtime rates are generally vague. The consequences in terms of additional cost, delays to patient care and lost clinical productivity are unknown.
Our team
We employ a specialised team of experienced and highly qualified equipment experts including state registered clinical scientists, a radiographer with proven skills in teaching and training, and a radiation protection advisor. This technical industry knowledge combines with commercial expertise in risk management, project finance and auditing.
Return on investment
Asteral delivers a return on investment through cost reductions and process efficiencies.
Financial gains are made throughout the lifetime of an MES contract. Procurement, training and maintenance costs are rationalised delivering auditable results. Our specialist team negotiates new equipment costs, installation is undertaken with minimal disruption and equipment uptime is maximised.
New and innovative medical technology also ensures swifter patient throughput and a reduced cost per patient. As the equipment works faster, fewer units are required and thus fewer staff.
Payment by results
Payment by Results (PbR) offers major opportunities to Trusts but it also carries major risks if not managed well.
Working in partnership with Asteral delivers efficiencies. Modern technology increases patient throughput, reducing average cost per patient. This is essential for NHS Trusts seeking to keep costs below tariff.
The shift to a well managed MES, coupled with process review and process re-engineering can be the catalyst leading to wider service reform.