Purchasing equipment for an eye unit

Who is responsible? The manager of the eye care unit is ultimately responsible for ensuring that equipment and supplies are adequate. However, the manager may delegate a member of the team to act as the ‘equipment person’. This person will have some responsibilities for ordering and will also be responsible for keeping the equipment inventory up to date. The inventory should contain information about all items of equipment in the eye unit: when these were bought, from whom, at what cost, and where the items are now situated in the hospital or clinic. When new equipment arrives, this should also be recorded in the inventory. The equipment inventory can be stored on computer or in a paper filing system. The equipment person will also be responsible for ensuring that all equipment has sufficient consumables (such as reagents, filters, recording paper), spare parts (including light bulbs) and accessories (cables, electrodes, and so on) and will order replacements when stocks run low. The equipment inventory is a good place to note how satisfied the eye unit is with the services offered by different suppliers. When it is time to order again, this information will help the equipment person to determine whether to continue with the same supplier or consider other suppliers.