Lessons must be learnt over £6million home oxygen supply switch.
The National Assembly for Wales’ Audit Committee has criticised the way in which the new home oxygen supply service was introduced.
Members concluded that the NHS failed to effectively deal with the risks relating to the introduction of the new service in 2006 - which cost £4million more than the original estimate of £2million.
The committee also found that the intended benefits of the new arrangements have not yet been fully realised.
“The Welsh Assembly Government did not heed the advice of the new contractor which had strongly recommended phasing the roll-out of the new contract,” said committee chair, David Melding AM.
“We consider that the Welsh Assembly Government took a very high risk approach in deciding not to pilot the new arrangements, particularly given they were changing longstanding arrangements with which patients and healthcare professionals were very familiar.
“And we were astonished to hear that the apparent three-fold increase in the cost of the contract in the first year, was due to some important elements missing from the tender documentation.”
The new service to integrate the supply of home oxygen in Wales and England was introduced in February, 2006.
Air Products PLC was awarded the all-Wales Oxygen contract for home oxygen supply.
Within a few days of the start of the contract, the new arrangements failed due to unprecedented and unforeseen demands placed on it.
On the basis of a report from the Auditor General for Wales, published in July last year, the committee examined whether the NHS in Wales managed effectively the introduction of the new arrangements.
The main recommendations of the report are:
the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) reports back to the committee outlining what lessons have been learnt, and how these lessons are being applied to other key changes to health services.
WAG should report back to the committee on how it intends to meet its own expectation that the cost of home oxygen services will be reduced.
that WAG responds to the four recommendations contained in the Auditor General’s report as part of its response to the committee’s report.