Health Minister backs Barts innovation
Health Minister Zubir Ahmed has praised a Barts Health breakthrough that is helping to cut heart-device infections, save the NHS money and speed up patient care.
During a visit to St Bartholomew’s Hospital on Thursday 25 September, the Minister saw how a new approach to buying medical technology is improving outcomes by looking beyond the lowest price.
The NHS spends around £10 billion a year on medical technology. Under new national guidelines, hospitals are being encouraged to consider long-term value – including patient safety and the impact on waiting lists – rather than simply choosing the cheapest product.
Barts Health was among the first trusts to trial this “value-based procurement” and has already shown how it can save lives and money.
Targeting those most at risk
Clinicians at the Barts Heart Centre developed the BLISTER score to identify patients most likely to develop an infection after having a pacemaker, defibrillator or similar heart device fitted.
The tool helps teams decide when to use an antimicrobial envelope – a surgical mesh coated in antibiotics – which is proven to cut infection rates but is too expensive to give to every patient.
Working with Royal Papworth and Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals, the team analysed data from more than 12,000 patients to create the BLISTER scoring system.
Since its introduction, infection rates have fallen to below 1 per cent and the trust saves more than £100,000 a year. The work has already won a Health Service Journal Patient Safety Award.
Device infection at an all-time low
Dr Edd Maclean, the specialist cardiology registrar who led the project, said: "Device infection is a devastating complication with significant ramifications for patient mortality, quality of life, and also healthcare expenditure.
"The TYRX antimicrobial envelope is highly effective, but it is too expensive to use in every case. With this in mind, we recognised the need for a tool that could identify high-risk patients who may benefit most from additional technology."
"An online calculator lets colleagues generate a score at the bedside, and posters in our cath labs prompt the team to assess every patient. Device infection is now at an all-time low."
The British Heart Rhythm Society has endorsed the system, and NHS England reimburses the cost of the envelope when trusts show they are using the BLISTER score.
An NHS fit for the future
Better, more innovative technology helps the NHS treat patients more quickly and safely, allowing staff to see more people and shorten waiting times.
The Minister, who trained as a transplant and vascular surgeon in Glasgow, said: "We must invest to save, and by purchasing the most effective technology, not just the cheapest, we’ll improve patient care, cut waiting times, and drive long-term cost savings – as we build an NHS fit for the future."
Bradley Day, Interim Managing Director of the North East London Health and Care Procurement Partnership, of which Barts Health is a part, said: "We're excited to see value-based procurement being scaled across the NHS. The Trust were early participants in the programme, using it to develop our BLISTER tool that has been proven to reduce cardiac device infections, enhance patient outcomes, and deliver savings."
Pictured: Health Minister Zubir Ahmed (centre) alongside colleagues from Barts Health NHS Trust, NHS Supply Chain and the Department of Health and Social Care. Credit: DHSC.
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