The Bristol and Weston NHS Purchasing Consortium helps three acute and three primary health trusts negotiate the best deals on supplies by purchasing collectively. When the Consortium’s acute trust members wanted to make cost savings on surgical gloves, Steve Benjamin went on the lookout for a new glove supplier. His remit was a challenging one. He knew that the alternative gloves had to be of good quality or clinicians wouldn’t be prepared to switch. Spurred on by Ansell’s market leading reputation, its broad glove range and the extensive support during trials, Steve decided to trial Ansell surgical gloves at United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust, North Bristol NHS Trust and Weston Area Health NHS Trust, the three acute trust members.

Professional set-up

The preparation phase, in close cooperation with staff at the hospital, was a smooth one. During meetings with the trusts’ Infection Control, Health and Safety, Dermatological, Occupational Health, and Procurement specialists, Ansell reps answered many questions about the trials and glove-related issues, such as allergies. In addition, Ansell reps also met with trust clinicians to ascertain their needs and recommend which gloves ranges to trial.

Always on-site

The actual two-month trials testified to a consistent, professional approach. The Consortium was impressed by the high level of support and guidance Ansell provided. Steve: “There were enough representatives available 24/7 to answer queries from clinicians in every operating theatre. Support included face-to-face meetings, training events and educational literature, such as posters and leaflets. And the package was tailor-made: we were involved in the design from the ground up, which means that everything we needed was there.”

There when you need them

The professional approach - and the quality of the gloves, of course - hit the bull’s eye. After the trial, the uptake of Ansell surgical gloves was almost 100% at the three hospital trusts and Ansell is still the number one today. Moreover, the involvement didn’t end with the trial. Ansell is, for example, still supporting clinicians who remain apprehensive about the change of glove supplier and continues to provide support. “Since the trial, we can call up Ansell any time of the day to ask for support. We can even get someone to come in overnight if we book them beforehand. Ansell representatives aren’t in your face. They’re just there where you need them”, Steve concluded.

On trail: the Encore® and Gammex® PF ranges

The clinicians at the trusts wanted gloves with good grip, ease of donning and excellent fit. They trialled both the Encore® and Gammex® PF top-quality ranges of surgical gloves so that departments could decide whether they wanted to use all Encore® , all Gammex® PF or a mixture of both ranges. In one trust, for example, cardiac surgery is now using Encore® while general surgery uses Gammex® PF.