So it’s two down and only two left standing in the excruciatingly drawn out Northern Ireland Remote Monitoring Service tendering fiasco. [TA item – Q: What’s the difference between an African Elephant and ECCH?] “Bosch Healthcare’s decision is based on the evolving service delivery and budgetary requirements of the proposed project. [!] Bosch Healthcare is continuing to pursue other opportunities in the developing United Kingdom market for telehealth technology…” Press release: Robert Bosch Healthcare withdraws from Northern Ireland tender. Where is the accountability in the Northern Ireland Assembly?
3 thoughts on “Robert Bosch Healthcare withdraws from Northern Ireland tender”
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Northern Ireland Tender
I agree this process is a fiasco. The ECCH needs to take the blame for what is going on in this process. Clearly they know nothing about healthcare delivery and have made the one big mistake “biggest is best”. It is quite clear that they have looked to large companies for security to deliver this programme, when there are a range of small companies who can deliver this programme standing on their heads. Lets look at the evidence:
1. Tunstall, a company with major finance issues
2. BT, no Telehealth experience and unsure if they even want to be in health
3. Bosch, whose only experience they bought from Health Hero
4. HP, no Telehealth experience at all
[Ed. Steve: The latter two have dropped out of the process, and the other companies’ partners on the bids will take issue with your generalisation.]
Maybe its time for the Minster for Health Mr McGimpsey to look closer at the ECCH and the effect this is having on Northern Ireland, after all the Guru of Telehealth (and you know who you are) states that Northern Ireland is a centre of excellence, well that what he is telling the US and the rest of the world.
Maybe its also time for the ECCH to come clean on how much this process has cost so far, between procurement team, legal and management team costs. This is not to mention the cost to the bidders – the word on the street that most of them have spent well over £1.5 million to participate so far. Given the announcement of the NI budget this week, health budget is protected, how is this fiasco protecting the budget?
In closing, ECCH should look in the mirror today (if you can) and ask yourself the following questions:
1. How many patients could have been benefiting on the money you have spent in the past 3 years?
2. How many bed days could have been saved from this at a time when budgets are under the microscope?
3. What would the public think about all of this if the know what was really going on?
4. How will this fiasco look on my CV?
Northern Ireland tender
At least the commissioners wont be guilty of the sort of mistake made by North Yorkshire PCT when they ended up buying too many of the same overpriced device – or will they?
Surely after years of telehealth pilots everyone appreciates that a spectrum of technology is needed to deal with the different needs of different patient groups, and that the technology is only a small part of the solution. I sincerely hope that ECCH spends only a fraction of what they originally intended – and claims the benefit of waiting for more advanced solutions (many using smart phones and set-top boxes) at a fraction of the original prices.
Bosch – Tactical withdrawal?
Doesn’t anybody think this could just be a tactical withdrawal from Bosch because they realised they will not win? A case of walk before the market sees you as losing bidder? And quickly follow up with a proactive PR stating how committed to the market they are! This happens all the time with IT tenders.
Tend to agree with the comments from “John” … stuck record from “Jo”.