If the benefits of asset tracking are proven, why is investment still lagging, and what’s the practical way forward?
A problem hiding in plain sight
Across the NHS, there is a problem that most organisations already recognise—but few feel they have fully solved.
Medical devices are not where they are expected to be.
This isn’t limited to one department or setting. It shows up consistently across:
- Acute wards
- Theatres
- Community services
- Estates and facilities teams
From infusion pumps and wheelchairs to mobile diagnostics and specialist equipment, the issue is rarely about whether the devices exist.
It’s about whether they can be found, used, and maintained when needed.
For Clinical Engineering teams responsible for managing thousands of assets, this creates a daily operational tension. Devices required for maintenance cannot be located. Equipment needed on a ward is unavailable at the point of care. Time is lost searching, escalating, and working around gaps that shouldn’t exist.
And in many cases, the response is not to resolve the underlying issue—but to compensate for it.
Additional equipment is purchased. Hire costs increase. Buffer stock grows.
All while existing assets remain somewhere within the system.
This is the millions of pounds problem in almost all NHS Services.
One that is widely understood.
Frequently discussed.
And yet, still not consistently addressed.
This isn’t just an asset issue. It’s a workforce pressure multiplier.
At a time when the NHS is under sustained pressure, the impact of poor asset visibility extends far beyond equipment.
It directly affects the workforce.
When devices cannot be located:
- Clinical staff lose time that should be spent on patient care
- Engineers are delayed in completing maintenance and compliance checks
- Portering and support teams are pulled into reactive tasks
These are not isolated inefficiencies. They compound across shifts, departments, and sites.
Overlay this with wider system pressures:
- Staffing shortages
- Increasing demand
- Rising levels of frustration and burnout
And what appears to be an operational inconvenience becomes something more significant:
A multiplier of existing pressure.
At the same time, there is growing evidence that digital transformation, when poorly implemented, can add to that burden rather than relieve it.
Which makes the next question even more important.
The paradox: the savings are known, but the investment isn’t happening
The benefits of asset visibility are not theoretical.
They are well understood across the various industries, especially the NHS:
- Reduced unnecessary purchases
- Lower equipment hire costs
- Improved compliance and maintenance scheduling
- Increased staff efficiency
- Better utilisation of existing assets
In many Trusts, the inverse is already being experienced:
- Equipment being re-purchased because it cannot be located
- Over-ordering to compensate for uncertainty
- Preventative maintenance missed due to unavailable devices
So the challenge is not awareness.
It is action.
If the savings are proven, why isn’t investment happening at scale?
Understanding the real barriers
The answer lies not in a single constraint, but in a combination of structural and practical challenges.
Perception of cost
Asset tracking is often associated with large, capital-intensive programmes.
Historically, this has meant:
- Tagging large volumes of equipment upfront
- Installing significant infrastructure
- Committing to broad, organisation-wide deployments
For many Trusts, this creates an immediate financial and procurement barrier.
Risk of disruption
There is increasing sensitivity around introducing new digital systems.
Where implementations have been rushed or poorly supported, the result has been:
- Additional workload for staff
- Complex workflows
- Low adoption
In an already stretched environment, the risk of disruption often outweighs the perceived benefit.
Lack of a clear starting point
Even where there is appetite to solve the problem, a common challenge remains:
Where do we begin?
With multiple technologies available—RFID, Bluetooth, GPS, QR—there is often no clear, low-risk entry point.
This can lead to over-engineered solutions or delayed decisions.
The reality: most approaches are too complex, too early
A consistent pattern can be seen across many asset tracking initiatives:
- Technology is introduced before behaviour is established
- Solutions are designed for completeness rather than usability
- Adoption is assumed, rather than built into workflows
The result is systems that appear comprehensive, but struggle to gain traction in practice.
Because in the NHS environment, success is not defined by technical capability alone.
It is defined by:
- Ease of use
- Fit within existing workflows
- Speed at which value can be demonstrated
A different approach:
Start simple, prove value, then scale
A more pragmatic model is beginning to emerge.
One that focuses less on full deployment, and more on practical adoption and measurable value.
The principles are straightforward.
Start with what already exists
- Use existing asset barcodes
- Introduce simple QR-based interactions
- Enable staff to capture location and status quickly
This creates immediate visibility without large-scale infrastructure.
Build behaviour first
- Integrate into existing workflows
- Make it intuitive for clinical and engineering teams
- Focus on ease of use over completeness
If it is not easy to use, it will not be used.
Layer technology where it adds value
Rather than applying a single approach to all assets, technology is matched to the use case.
For example:
- Bluetooth for frequently misplaced equipment
- GPS for high-value or mobile assets external to Acute services
- QR-based workflows for community settings
This creates a flexible, evolving model.
Why this changes the investment conversation
This approach shifts the question from:
“Can we afford a full system?”
To:
“Can we afford not to understand what we already have?”
By starting small:
- Financial barriers are reduced
- Operational risk is minimised
- Value can be demonstrated quickly
And once value is proven, scaling becomes a more confident and informed decision.
Moving from assumption to evidence
There is increasing recognition that asset visibility does not need to begin with a large-scale commitment.
Instead, Trusts are exploring focused proof-of-value approaches, where:
- A specific area or use case is selected
- Data is gathered rapidly
- Outcomes are measured and validated
This enables organisations to:
- Build internal confidence
- Engage stakeholders with real evidence
- Develop a roadmap based on their own environment
Rather than relying on assumptions.
The question facing NHS leaders
The challenge is no longer understanding the problem. That is already widely acknowledged.
The question now is:
How can it be solved in a way that works within the realities of the NHS?
- Without adding pressure to staff
- Without disrupting clinical workflows
- Without requiring large upfront investment
Because the goal is not simply to track assets.
It is to:
- Reduce unnecessary spend
- Improve staff efficiency
- Support better patient care
In a way that is practical and sustainable.
A shift in mindset
The organisations making progress in this area are not necessarily those investing the most.
They are those taking a more pragmatic approach:
- Starting small
- Focusing on adoption
- Scaling based on evidence
In doing so, they are turning a long-standing operational challenge into a measurable opportunity.
Final thought
The NHS does not have an asset shortage problem.
It has a visibility problem.
And solving it does not require a single, large-scale intervention.
It requires an approach that reflects the complexity of the environment, supports the workforce, and builds value incrementally.
Because in a system under pressure, the most effective solutions are not always the most complex.
They are the ones that work.