Independent healthcare waste management company Anenta, has announced that it has been appointed by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) to oversee and manage the delivery of clinical waste logistics and disposal services to over 700 pharmacies across Hampshire, The Isle of Wight and the Thames Valley.
The appointment takes the total number of pharmacies provided with Anenta’s waste management services in the South East region to in excess of 1,500.
Anenta will be deploying its “analytics and AI technology” to identify waste service efficiencies and savings that can be made on behalf of the 700 recently onboarded pharmacies.
The company has saved the authority more than £1.7m over the past 24 months through the implementation of its dedicated, online contract management platform ‘Vector’.
Anenta will be responsible for managing over 1,500 collections of waste generated by the 708 pharmacies, including clinical waste and medicine returns and disposal. This comes on top of the service already provided to 878 other pharmacies across the South East region.
As part of its role, Anenta will help the pharmacies with complex issues such as navigating ‘pre-acceptance’ audits required by the Environment Agency. Working with the Environment Agency, Anenta says it has already streamlined this process, saving pharmacies in the South East Region in excess of 14,000 hours per year.
Anenta does not provide waste collection services itself but instead manages the process on behalf of NHS authorities, assisting the waste provider and ensuring value for money.
Key to their appointment was the certainty that they could provide us with all the necessary assurances required to satisfy the stringent requirements of NHSE&I.
Anenta’s proprietary software – Vector – identifies and matches agreed waste service provisions against pricing, applicability, charges and quantities collected to eliminate over-charging; managing any invoice disputes on behalf of pharmacies, before approving payments made by the NHS authority.
Anenta’s system also identifies and addresses inefficiencies in waste collection services, reducing “unnecessary transport and excessive plastics use”.
A policy of moving pharmacies from plastic collection units to carboard lined boxes has already saved NHS South East England over £320,000 per year, it says.
Kevin Oliver, Commissioning Manager, Pharmacy & Optometry, NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) – South East Region, commented: “Having successfully managed the Kent, Surrey and Sussex community pharmacy waste contract since October 2018, Anenta have proved that they ideally placed to take on the wider South East region covering Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and the Thames Valley region.
“Key to their appointment was the certainty that they could provide us with all the necessary assurances required to satisfy the stringent requirements of NHSE&I.
“Prime among these is their ability to examine, analyse, check and scrutinise every single billable item through Anenta’s computerised software programmes.
“This ensures that irregularities are quickly identified and any overbilling disputed with waste collectors. Where incorrect billing does take place, Anenta ensures that credit notes are raised before authorising the invoice for payment.
“Utilising their expertise and understanding of the sector, Anenta are able to manage enquiries from both the pharmacies and waste contractors, ensuring consistency of service and enhancement of efficiency, helping to bring about costs savings.”
