Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has implemented new asset management software to provide a single asset register better track and manage its equipment, including IT hardware and software.
The trust will also use the software, supplied by Real Asset Management, to help improve helpdesk services and audits of its 13,000 resources.
John Brewster, capital accountant for the trust, said: “Technically, our recorded assets are those goods that cost over £5,000, although we tend to group things like IT equipment together. The most expensive items on our register are probably the radiology equipment where we have scanners that cost in excess of half a million pounds each, closely followed by the operating theatre equipment and our portable scopes and scanners.”
In order to manage the growing number of assets for accounting purposes as well as keep track of their whereabouts, Brewster wanted a specialist system that would competently handle all the items throughout their lifecycle.
He said: “Ad hoc asset management systems are very labour intensive and add considerably to the total cost of asset management.” The new software provides the trust with a single system to track all hospital equipment.
Brewster said: “We hold every accountable asset on it from non-medical kitchen equipment, vehicles and soft furnishings, to the contents of our latest up-to-date operating theatre. It contains all the items of equipment needed to run a modern hospital.”
Every new item purchased is automatically entered onto the register, and annually, a detailed asset list report is produced which allows custodians to confirm to the trust the location, correct ownership and value of each item of equipment.
“The RAM system is designed to quickly build an accurate, centralised database of assets,” says Brewster.
Implementing the system has meant a change of procedures for staff, something which the trust spent time demonstrating before transitioning to the system.
As well as an asset register, the trust is using Asset4000 as a financial tool aiding it in putting together business cases for new equipment. The software can calculate the financial consequences, together with an estimate of capital charges, aiding the decision making process.
Brewster said: “Being able to predict with a degree of accuracy, what our financial commitments are going to be is of enormous value. We are currently investing in a new £2.5 million IT system and, for 12 months during the proposal stage, we were continually producing additional cost estimates. We could only do that because of the power of the asset register and the information it contained.”
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