Welsh health boards responsible for the fresh produce procurement for hospitals are under investigation for allegedly spending almost £400,000 too much for fruit and vegetables.
The Wales Audit Office has been asked to probe irregularities in the prices paid by the boards over a period of four random months between 2013 and 2014.
It follows an investigation by the Welsh Conservatives that said its figures showed the NHS could have paid £385,614.55 too much for apples, bananas, jacket potatoes, salad potatoes and cucumbers.
Using figures from FPJ’s weekly market prices, the investigation found that prices for fruit and vegetables procured for most Welsh health boards should be two per cent above market prices for the previous four-week period.
Instead, it said that in April 2014, four Welsh health boards paid 94 per cent above published market prices for cucumbers.
In December 2013, an 18kg box of bananas was priced at £11.88, but four health boards paid £19.80 per box, while another paid £21.25. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board used 141 boxes of bananas that month, equating to an overpayment of £1,083.22.
In the same month, Cardiff & Vale paid £499.36 too much for bananas, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) was overcharged £686.14 for jacket potatoes, while Aneurin Bevan paid £852.88 too much for salad potatoes, the investigation claimed.
“These figures show the Welsh NHS could be overcharged by as much as £385,614.55 for just five basic items, so this could be just the tip of an enormous iceberg,” said shadow health minister, Darren Millar.
“These figures raise serious questions about the measures in place to monitor what hospitals pay for food and whether agree contractual prices are adhered to for the full four-year term.”
