“Today, we do not only buy products or services. We partner with suppliers who are able to support us in our ecological transition”
- Mr Vo-Dinh, Deputy Purchasing Director, Hospital Center Jacques Coeur
The Challenge
Hospital Center Jacques Coeur in Bourges, France has 774 beds and services over 100,000 people. CH Bourges mission is to ensure the provision of optimal healthcare services whilst maintaining high standards of patient care so developed a clear roadmap with ambitious goals. Within this comprehensive plan, are sections dedicated to the important themes that drive the ambition to develop into a ‘future-ready’ hospital. The themes included ecological responsibility, performance, and patient experience.
CH Bourges has adopted a philosophy to partner with suppliers who would guide and support the themes of their plan.
The Concept
The principle of transitioning to 100% latex free in the operating room to achieve:
1. A safer environment for the patients and Healthcare workers as 13% of hospital staff are known to be latex-sensitized
2. Cost savings from avoiding allergic adverse events
3. Cost savings from a more simplified hospital processes, including simplified patient intake screening, O.R. scheduling and planning, as well as reduced O.R. turnover time for a latex-allergic patient surgery space
This concept was to be achieved whilst providing precise gloves with finesse for fine and delicate surgery and a good feeling of dexterity for the surgeons as well as addressing the volume of occupied space by product and packaging waste.
The Aim
The aim of this Value Based Procurement (VBP) approach was to develop CH Bourges into a ‘future-ready’ hospital with:
• Quality and allergenic safe gloves
• Decreased number of product styles
• Reduced waste
The Solution
CH Bourges and Ansell worked together to evaluate non-latex surgical gloves with operating staff to prove clinical acceptance and no loss in tactility or comfort. Followed with the identification and collection of data points such as logistics of inventory, likelihood of stockouts or overstocking, number of orders placed, processing times, specific latex sensitised patients schedules, patient screening times, surgery cancellations, and product packaging dimensions.
The Results and Benefits
• Surgery unit is now 100% latex free.
• Space occupied by gloves and packaging waste has reduced by a significant 23%
• Now only managing two surgical glove styles
• Pharmacy has saved four full-time working days
• Faster patient screening with no latex allergy risk
• Less human error with remembering staff glove styles and sizes
• No longer require a specific schedule for latex sensitised patients
• Improved inventory control with reduced stockouts or overstocking
• 96% satisfaction from glove wearers.
Further Opportunities
There is the potential for implementation of similar dedicated VBP projects in hospitals.
