Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the specifications used to procure wound care products are devised; who is responsible for devising those specifications; and how patient outcomes and quality of life impacts are considered as part of that process.

NHS Supply Chain provides a wide range of products to meet the needs of clinicians and patients. NHS Supply Chain does not offer all products in a range, balancing the need for choice and diversity with the benefits of consistency and economies of scale.

As a wide variety of research into effectiveness of wound care products is conducted independently, the Department does not carry out such research. Experts involved in developing specifications include National Health Service clinicians, representatives of the tissue viability nurse community and the National Wound Care Strategy Programme. The specifications include a range of technical and usability factors which vary by product.

Clinicians can source products through alternative routes if required to meet specialist patient needs.