Hospital Procurement Award
sponsored by Capita Consulting
Recognising the NHS Trust that has delivered value for money and increased efficiency through smarter procurement practice. The winning trust will demonstrate the success of partnerships and collaborations to achieve procurement excellence and cost effectiveness.
2011 Winner
East of England Collaborative Procurement Hub - Specials Tooklit
Special or unlicensed medicines cost the NHS around £90 million per year. The Specials Toolkit offers prescribing and dispensing advice, suggests alternatives to certain drugs which are commonly prescribed as ‘specials’ and gives sources of further information on specific issues. It was designed to help minimise costs and encourage best practice, and has been widely circulated across the UK. Pharmacy savings of £760,000 have been calculated for the East of England alone. Since the toolkit was launched, the East of England has bucked the national trend which has seen the costs of prescribing Special Medicines spiral upwards. The interim ‘Version 2’ was released in October 2011 and is being further updated in the light of the Specials tariff changes. The next version will be issued in January 2012.
Commended
NHS Supply Chain - Sustainable Food Procurement
The organisation procures around 50 to 60 per cent of food for hospitals in England and Wales – making it the largest supplier of food to the NHS. It employs a progressive procurement model for food which is underpinned by the Ethical Trade Initiative’s (ETI) base code as well as its own code of conduct. All tenders are based on a solid balance of both financial and non financial criteria, ensuring that evidence of sound farming practices, including the use of pesticides, the protection of the environment and the welfare of animals are all key considerations. The organisation works closely with The Hospital Catering Association (HCA) and engages with key stakeholders in the field and is aware of the issues around food procurement such as local sourcing, sustainability, food miles and Fairtrade.
NHS CPC/NHS Leeds - Home Oxygen Services Contract
Home oxygen services are currently provided under contracts managed by the Department of Health. As these contracts expire, each Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has a responsibility to procure home oxygen services for their region. The Home Oxygen Services contract will offer Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) across Yorkshire and the Humber up to 50% in savings when it goes live on 1 May 2012, as well as a variety of benefits. It improves by offering a local service, wider choice of equipment and continuous assessment and review of patients in order to better manage their conditions. With national figures showing that up to 24–43% of patients currently receiving home oxygen derive no clinical benefit from it, the assessment and review system will also reduce unnecessary oxygen deliveries.
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2010 Winner
NHS CPC - Clinical Waste Contract
This innovative clinical waste contract is set to save the region up to £1.7 million per year for the next five years with further benchmarking activities included to ensure the contract remains competitive over its 10 year life. The procurement process was handled by the Commercial Procurement Collaborative (CPC), a buying consortium between Trusts in the region. Described by one of the region’s supplies managers as ‘the jewel in the CPC’s crown’, the clinical waste contract is one of the biggest in the country and brings valuable opportunities to the region and significant cost savings to the participating Trusts.
Commended:
South East Coast Collaborative Procurement Hub (SECCPH) - HIV Homecare Project
The HIV Homecare project, using a SECCPH contract, enables patients to receive medication at home or a place of their choosing, improving quality of life for both patients and their carers. As a result of the success of the project in Sussex over the past year, work is now underway to roll out HIV homecare across Kent and Surrey. This change in HIV care provision will save £1000 per ‘average’ patient per annum, with some of the savings being able to be returned back to the development of HIV care within the region.
Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust - Rotherham Future Ward Lighting project
Lighting is an important aspect in many NHS buildings due to the 24 hour nature of the service the NHS delivers. The Rotherham Future Ward Lighting project is an innovative element of a seven year programme of ward reconfiguration, which started in 2009. The Forward Commitment on Procurement model involves providing the market with advance information of future needs in outcome terms, early engagement with potential suppliers and - most importantly - the incentive of a Forward Commitment: an agreement to purchase a product or service that currently does not exist.
NHS South West Essex
The transfer of South West Essex Community Services to a suitable foundation trust presented a number of logistical risks for NHS South West Essex. Following a comprehensive procurement exercise, the PCT identified North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) as its partner. This partnership will help deliver substantial financial benefits, particularly through increased efficiencies. Repeatable ‘gold standard’ procurement models and processes were developed, which help ensure that risk and duplication of effort were reduced. They are now being shared and used by other East of England PCTs.
