4
September 2008 –
Hilton
Caledonian, Edinburgh
Procuring
for Health
GO Conferences has been back
on the road again, this time to impart valuable
information to the health care supplier community,
writes GO Features Editor Morven MacNeil.
The NHS in Scotland spends over £1 billion
each year, with over 13,000 suppliers, on hundreds
of products ranging from MRI scanners to scalpels,
pens to potatoes, and nurses’ uniforms to
needles.
GO Conferences held an event entitled
Procuring for Health recently at the Hilton Caledonian,
Edinburgh, supported by National Procurement,
a division of NHS National Services Scotland,
and managed by BiP Solutions. The conference discussed
several developments in the Scottish health care
market, namely the expanding role of National
Procurement.
National Procurement is responsible for ensuring
that an efficient service of the highest standards
in modern procurement practice is provided to
all NHS Scotland organisations. Since 2005 National
Procurement, working with health service stakeholders,
patient groups and the supplier market, has developed
national contracts which allow access to over
£500 million worth of business activity,
returning in excess of £70 million for further
investment in health care in Scotland.
As
the first Centre of Expertise (CoE) following
the launch of the Scottish public sector procurement
reform programme, National Procurement aims to
be recognised as a best-in-class CoE providing
specialist supply services to NHS Scotland, directly
supporting the health and well-being of the people
of Scotland.
Chairing
the event was Duncan Eaton, former
Chief Executive of NHS PASA. Opening the conference,
Mr Eaton said: “One of the things I
have learned about purchasing is that relationships
between the purchasing and supply sides are critical.
Clearly, both sides have different objectives,
and hopefully through the purchasing process they
are met. Suppliers are there to maximise return,
the purchasing side are there to maximise value.
“A good purchasing organisation keeps
its suppliers informed as to what their objectives
and intentions are, so regular dialogue is vital.
The public sector also needs to learn from suppliers
what their intent, objectives and developments
are because health care does benefit from innovation
and a lot of that innovation comes from the supplier
side.”
Giving
the keynote speech was Minister for Public Health,
Shona Robison. She told delegates:
“It is encouraging to see so many suppliers
who recognise that providing best value for the
NHS in Scotland translates into first-class patient
care; that link is very important.
“This
year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the NHS
in Scotland. The service is one which we can all
be proud of, but it is not without its challenges.
The pace and scope of change outlined within the
Government strategy ‘Better Health, Better
Care’ identifies key areas of change and
how the health service is managed. Patients, carers
and staff will be able to shape and influence
service provision as never before, and changes
such as these across the NHS in Scotland will
have a measurable and positive impact upon the
health and well-being of the whole of Scotland.
“To be successful, though, will depend on
partnerships at many levels. There is also a requirement
to ensure that those suppliers providing products
and services to the NHS understand and appreciate
the need for close working relationships. National
Procurement is playing its part in changing the
delivery of patient care and services. As the
CoE for health procurement it has delivered significant
financial and service benefits, benefits that
have been directly reinvested in providing and
shaping patient care and in support of the efficient
and effective operation of NHS Scotland.
“I
am delighted at the progress and success of National
Procurement as part of the wider procurement reform
agenda across the Scottish public sector. In collaboration
with colleagues across NHS Scotland, it is at
the forefront of ensuring value maximised in relation
to our expenditure in this area.
“National
Procurement has embraced the objectives of the
programme and in many cases it is leading progress
and development against these.”
Michael
Healey, Executive Director of National
Procurement, told delegates that procurement has
never had a higher profile across the Scottish
public sector. He stated: “Following
the McClelland Report on Public Procurement in
Scotland, many of the areas that are outlined
by suppliers have been addressed. We now have
a single Scotland-wide procurement process in
place within health. Across the broader Scottish
Government, we have a Single Point of Enquiry
where suppliers can seek advice on the process
– a very helpful introduction. And across
Scotland, advice and guidance has been issued
to the supplier community on how to successfully
win public sector contracts in Scotland.
“National Procurement gone through a process
of change management and we are now at the point
where we are very effective at collaboration across
all health organisations in Scotland. We have
been successful in delivering tangible savings
over a three-year period in excess of £70
million. Those savings are retained by Boards
and reinvested back into frontline care.”
The
Procuring for Health conference also gave delegates
the opportunity to meet buyers within the five
main health care sectors in Scotland. Topics discussed
included pharmacy, non-medical and corporate services,
medical equipment, national distribution services,
and paramed and consumables.
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