To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts have been awarded through the NHS Supply Chain Framework for the Supply of Endoscopy Products (a) following a mini-competition and (b) under the terms of the framework itself. (320270)

NHS Supply Chain has the following endoscopy framework agreements:

Endoscope Disinfectants and Detergents

Endoscopy Consumables

Endosurgery

Rigid Endoscopes

Flexible Endoscopy

Automated Endoscope Reprocessors.

‘Endoscope Disinfectants and Detergents' is a national framework established in 2009 with nine suppliers. All orders and deliveries are via NHS Supply Chain. There are no mini-competitions or quotations. 186 trusts have made purchases against the framework from April 2009 to the present.

‘Endoscopy Consumables' is a national framework established in 2008 with 10 suppliers. All orders and deliveries are via NHS Supply Chain. There are no mini-competitions or quotations. 170 trusts have used the framework to make purchases from April 2009 to the present.

‘Endosurgery' is a national framework. There have been six mini-competitions and 210 trusts have gone though this framework. The framework has 17 suppliers and most purchases are made through NHS Supply Chain. However, there is a mini-competition option whereby trusts can create a local pricing agreement under the coverage of the national framework.

‘Rigid Endoscopes' is a national, direct-supply framework. There have been no mini-competitions and 120 trusts have gone through this framework. Trusts request quotations for equipment from NHS Supply Chain and these quotes are then compiled by suppliers and subsequent orders and deliveries are facilitated directly. There is an option for mini-competitions but as yet no trusts have chosen this option.

There have been 340 contracts awarded though the ‘Flexible Endoscopy' framework, with one mini-competition. 175 trusts have gone through this framework. The contracts are delivered direct from suppliers against this framework.

There have been 56 contracts awarded through the ‘Automated Endoscope Reprocessors' framework. 36 trusts have gone though this framework, with no mini-competitions. The contracts are delivered direct from suppliers against this framework.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of NHS trusts that have chosen to (a) purchase endoscopy products through NHS Supply Chain's Framework for the Supply of Endoscopy Products and (b) buy directly from suppliers. (320271)

This information is not held centrally.