Hilditch Group

Hilditch Group sells used medical equipment, and it works with more than ninety per cent of NHS trust hospitals — which means that when a British hospital re-equips a department, this is where the old kit is most likely to surface. It operates across Europe through Hilditch France, Hilditch Germany and Hilditch Iberia, and handles the whole disposal chain rather than just the sale: valuation, site clearance, logistics, engineering and resale.

What you can buy

• Diagnostic and imaging equipment from re-equipped departments.
• Theatre and ward equipment released in hospital clearances.
• Laboratory equipment from healthcare and research sites.
• Hospital IT and furniture that comes with a department clearance.

How the bidding works

Auctions and retail sales run side by side, so a listing may be a timed lot or a fixed-price item. Two services matter more here than the bidding mechanism: the operator produces condition and engineers' reports on equipment, and it handles data protection as a named service — medical devices routinely hold patient data, and wiping it is a legal obligation rather than a courtesy. An account is needed to bid.

What to check before you bid

Used medical equipment is bought against a regulatory reality, not just a price. Establish what servicing history and engineer's report come with a device, whether the manufacturer will still support the model, and what recommissioning it needs before clinical use. Ask explicitly about data sanitisation on anything with a hard drive. Decommissioning and transport of imaging equipment is a specialist job — an MRI or CT is a building project, not a delivery.