Kosten fehlerhafter Qualität durch Ausfall von medizinischer Fahrzeugausrüstung

Definition

NSW’s Service Specification for Non‑Emergency Transport requires that clinical equipment and consumables on vehicles are stocked to defined levels and that a stock checklist or auditing system is in place to ensure required volumes of in‑date stock are carried.[2] It also mandates an annual maintenance schedule for all equipment defined in its clinical equipment appendix so that items remain in good operational working order.[2] Victorian guidance for NEPT providers similarly requires a minimum set of clinical equipment (e.g., AED, oxygen, suction, bag‑valve mask) and emphasises maintenance records for all vehicle equipment for the lifespan of the equipment.[1] SA Health’s ambulance equipment schedule requires that vehicle equipment is fitted and compliant with relevant AU/NZ standards, supported by a system for recording vehicle maintenance and equipment servicing.[5] When this is managed via paper checklists and ad‑hoc spreadsheets, providers are more likely to send vehicles into service with out‑of‑date stock, overdue equipment servicing, or unrecorded equipment faults. LOGIC: A single cancelled or aborted transport due to critical equipment malfunction can cost several hundred dollars in lost revenue and re‑dispatch overhead. If such avoidable events occur even once per vehicle per year in a 10‑vehicle fleet, at AUD 500–2,000 impact per event (including investigation, potential patient transfer by another provider, and any goodwill compensation), the resulting cost of poor quality ranges from AUD 5,000–20,000 annually.

Why This Matters

The Pitch: Australian ambulance and NEPT providers lose an estimated AUD 5,000–20,000 per year per fleet in rework, refunds, and incident investigation costs linked to equipment failures that could be avoided with automated asset tracking, maintenance reminders, and digital stock audits.

Affected Stakeholders

Clinical Governance / Quality Manager, Fleet Manager, Operations Manager, Frontline Clinical Staff, Risk and Insurance Manager

Related Business Risks