Significant uplift in spending on HSV-led regional medical equipment projects

Regional and metropolitan health services are increasingly working with HealthShare Victoria (HSV) to coordinate medical equipment purchases, with regional procurement activities accounting for almost 50 per cent of HSV-led medical equipment expenditure in FY24 – a significant increase from 20 per cent in FY23.

HSV’s Head of Equipment Sourcing Mark Lennen says there is an upward trend in the number of health services collaborating with HSV.

“They are benefitting from the team’s market expertise and knowledge, resulting in more competitive pricing for health services,” he says.

“For regional health services that don’t have the resources to manage a tender, HSV can provide medical equipment procurement expertise, price benchmarking and quote reviews, as well as assistance with supplier negotiations and contractual enforcement,” he says.

Swan Hill District Health’s new emergency department opened last December with upgraded mobile imaging equipment procured in partnership with HSV.

The $65.7 million new build replaced the old emergency department and includes an expanded space with 15 patient points of care and a four-bed short stay unit, helping to reduce wait times for locals needing emergency care.

Enterprise Architect at Swan Hill District Health Murray Verbeek says HSV was able to procure the mobile x-ray machine to replace their end-of-life unit at a competitive price, which meant they could incorporate a mobile ultrasound unit into their budget.

“We had a limited budget for these items and HSV helped us to secure both,” he says.

“It’s important for us to have a mobile ultrasound machine in the emergency department, especially for trauma injuries involving swollen limbs and fractures as well as chest injuries.

If a patient is intubated and critical they can’t be moved. It’s also less disruptive for patients when we don’t have to transfer them for ultrasounds,” he says.

Murray says the Equipment team at HSV consolidated the information and provided key specifications on each of the models.

“It saved us a lot of time because we were able to compare each model and see more easily whether it met our clinical needs.”

Swan Hill District Health’s Joanne Scott, who was the Furniture, Fittings and Equipment Officer for the redevelopment project, says staff and patients are very happy with the new building.

Improved waiting times and enlarged waiting areas mean people can access emergency care more quickly.

“There is more space and patients have more privacy. We also have more modern waiting areas with better facilities for families and staff,” she says.

Joanne says much of the furniture and equipment was purchased through HSV agreements, including essential equipment such as respiratory humidifiers, patient examination chairs, stretchers and beds and mattresses.

“We had plenty of support from Senior Customer Relationship Manager Trish Boschin, and the information was easy to access, which helped save a lot of time. We worked through the orders in August, and everything was delivered by November in time for the opening,” she says.

Swan Hill District Health is a 143-bed rural public health service with an estimated catchment of around 35,000 people located on the Murray River 344 km north-west of Melbourne.

Above image: Murray Verbeek and Joanne Scott at the newly opened redevelopment of the emergency department at Swan Hill District Health.