Local leaders have urged NHS England to rethink its plans to scrap a training programme for procurement staff launched less than six months ago, HSJ has learned.
HSJ understands NHSE had planned to pause the learning and development academy, which it set up last year with two chartered institutes to ensure “a consistent standardised career pathway” for a large proportion of the NHS procurement workforce.
But senior figures told HSJ local leaders were frustrated by this move from the centre and reacted by voting to instead include the scheme among the six strategic priorities NHSE would maintain or accelerate in 2025-26.
“It’s a fantastic programme, which has developed, for the first time, a learning offering for our lowest banded staff in materials management, and receipt and distribution,” a local procurement leader explained.
Last month, HSJ revealed NHSE was slowing progress on delivering the key interventions from its NHS commercial strategy, less than 18 months after it was launched.
The centre ran a survey in February and March, asking local procurement leaders to identify which of the interventions from the commercial strategy should be paused and which should see delivery maintained or accelerated.
And now HSJ has discovered the learning and development scheme was the most popular choice – with 24 votes – to be maintained or accelerated, according to the results of the survey, obtained by a Freedom of Information request.
The scheme has been funded for three years by the Crown Commercial Service, which allocated £15m for the learning and development academy, as well as support for the NHS’s energy management capabilities.
The programme is meant to increase the proportion of the NHS commercial workforce who have gone through accredited training with a requisite chartered institute.
According to NHSE data, just 0.8 per cent of more than 2,400 logistics and materials management staff are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport while just 27 per cent of procurement workforce are accredited as Members of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.
Date: 10 April