Primary Care Trust (PCT) Inefficiency.

For agreeing to use Choose and Book to refer patients to hospital, my PCT has offered Dr Phibes and his partners some funds to purchase some extra IT equipment for the practice. We were given a figure and told that we could buy whatever we wanted for the practice as long as it was IT related.

Dr Phibes scoured Froogle for some good deals on printers and PCs.

Having got quotes electronically, we approached the PCT about buying them.

This is when the problems started. In the past, for transactions such as these, the necessary quotes would be sent to the PCT. They would OK or reject them, we would make the purchases, and then get reimbursed later on presentation of a receipt.

But not this time. The PCT said they had to make the purchases for us, and, despite the fact that we were dealing with the IT department, they could not do any online ordering. They would have to purchase any products through their regular suppliers.

It came as no surprise to me when the PCT stated that it would cost more to buy the identical printer through their supplier, but this was the only way that they were permitted to do it.

Is it any wonder that the NHS is in the financial state it's in when it works as inefficiently as this, spending more than is actually necessary on even straightforward purchases like printers and PCs?