Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (the Trust) has awarded Siemens Healthineers a cooperation contract worth around €50 million. The Trust is an integrated care organization which is responsible for the care of 530,000 local people in the midwest of UK. For a contract life-time of 10 years, Siemens will provide four hospital sites with a comprehensive suite of management services and solutions for all of its medical imaging equipment. However the partnership not only includes Managed Equipment Services. As part of the customer's team Siemens experts will help to optimize processes in the hospitals and design technology roadmaps to provide the most relevant and updated technology at all times.
The sites across West Birmingham and Sandwell, including the new Midland Metropolitan Hospital opening in October 2018, are set to transform patient care in the area. Like many healthcare providers in the UK, the Trust is facing key challenges including increasing hospital workload, budgetary pressures and a 10-15% year-on-year rise in demand for CT and MR imaging. The collaboration with Siemens will help to provide the backing required to tackle these issues and create a first-class clinical environment.
The Managed Equipment Service partnership includes the provision, renewal and maintenance of imaging equipment like computer tomography and magnetic resonance, ultrasound, X-ray and molecular imaging, underpinned by solutions to support operational and clinical efficiency. Within the scope of the contract, Siemens will also offer financing, professional services, room planning, training for clinical users as well as onsite technical support. The collaboration plans to increase the quality of care as well as improve clinical outcomes for patients and to oversee that the technology available is the best fit at any time.
The strong alliance will support the Trust's 2020 vision to become known as the best integrated care organization in the NHS.
"The new Midland Metropolitan Hospital is set to open in 2018 and it is essential that the imaging department is equipped with the right technology to meet our needs to prepare us for the future," comments Dr Jonathan Benham, Consultant Radiologist at SWBH NHS Trust. "The partnership will enable both staff and patients to benefit from a well-designed clinical environment, reduced downtime and improved patient turnaround times. An investment in modern technology is an investment in our patients, who will benefit from the latest medical imaging techniques greatly."
Tony Waite, Director of Finance at SWBH NHS Trust states, "Securing confidence and greater certainty in our services and financial planning is important; we strive to get the best value for money to ensure the most efficient use of public money. We chose to work with Siemens as the result of a competitive process during which we evaluated quality, safety and financial criteria. The outcome is a partnership which brings together our collective strengths that will work together to achieve our 2020 vision. Together we are stronger which, most importantly, is of benefit to our patients."
"We are very pleased that we are now expanding our business relationship with the Trust and, in so doing, helping to boost its clinical excellence, operational efficiency, and profitability," says Matthias Platsch, head of Services at Siemens Healthineers. "This Managed Equipment Services contract will enable the Trust to offer its patients premium care supported by state-of-the-art technology, customized training and workflow optimization solutions from Siemens Healthineers. Together we will tackle the challenges facing healthcare today, and help our partner prepare for the future with efficient hospital operations, sustainable business models and high standards of care."
Related news articles:
- Siemens Profile
About Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (SWBH NHS Trust)
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (SWBH NHS Trust) is an integrated care organization, dedicated to improving the lives of local people, to maintaining an outstanding reputation for teaching and education, and to embedding innovation and research. SWBH NHS Trust employs around 7,500 people and spends around £430m of public money, largely drawn from the local Clinical Commissioning Group. That Group and this Trust is responsible for the care of 530,000 local people from across North-West Birmingham and all the towns within Sandwell.
About Siemens AG
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of gas and steam turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment - such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems - and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2015, which ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide.