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The NHS has signed a short-term multimillion-pound deal to equip staff working from home with IT equipment.

Newly published contract information reveals that a £1.89m contract was awarded this summer to furniture and office equipment manufacturer SouthernsBroadstock.

The deal was awarded by NHS Improvement – which now operates jointly with NHS England – on 14 July and runs until the end of this calendar year. It covers the provision of chairs and a range of technology peripherals for staff working from home.

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SouthernsBroadstock has been asked to “provide the basic equipment required by all staff to work efficiently and safely in their home environment”.

“This includes a chair, monitor, keyboard and mouse,” the award notice said. “It is not proposed to routinely provide desks, printers or any other equipment. All staff are able to make a claim against the tax system for some additional expenses.”

NHS Improvement hopes that the deal will enable health-service staff to work remotely “through Covid-19 and beyond”.

The contract was awarded directly to the Leeds-based firm, without any competitive process. 

Founded in 1992, SouthernsBroadstock banked a net profit of £3.5m on sales of £27.3m during its 2019 financial year. The firm cites health – alongside education, corporate and retail – as one of its core markets.