As we approach another busy winter, the NHS continues to face challenges of increasingly complex health needs, alongside unprecedented financial constraints and increasing global instability, says Andrew New, NHS Supply Chain CEO.
As part of the NHS, I’m clear our organisation needs to keep evolving to meet these challenges, as the NHS itself evolves. Collaboration is key and we all need to work differently so that we can make it easier for the NHS to put patients first.
Our Chair, Heather Tierney-Moore, a clinician and former NHS Foundation Trust CEO, is in agreement that closer collaboration is the way forward.
She says: "The NHS is experiencing so many challenges it is even more important now that all parts of the system work together to help address them. Our focus is on patient safety, quality of care, delivering efficiency and value in a sustainable manner which can only be achieved through close collaboration and partnership working."
Unlocking savings, supporting improvements in patient care and creating greater supply chain resilience has always been at the centre of our offering. As an integral part of the NHS family, we source, deliver and supply healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales. Through our scale and reach, we deliver value at a national level on behalf of the whole healthcare system, working in collaboration to ensure our supply chain is compliant, cost-efficient, and responsive to frontline needs.
Together, there is an opportunity to deliver over £1 billion of value for the NHS by 2030. This requires us all to think and act differently, acknowledging collectively there’s more that can be done. We are committed to realising our full potential to deliver greater savings and efficiencies for the NHS, alongside delivering a broader value proposition focussing on supply chain resilience, product safety, access to innovation, social value, sustainability, and ethical considerations. Everything we do is focused on making it easier for the NHS to deliver high quality patient care.
We have re-organised our business to better support the strategic priorities of ICSs, strengthening our ability to work collaboratively to improve patient outcomes, manage cost and deliver savings for the NHS. To build upon this we have established a Value Delivery Partnership Programme, ensuring joined up and effective care, bringing system benefits, efficiency, and the opportunity to invest more into local health services.
Over the next few months, along with colleagues from NHS Supply Chain, I will be speaking at NHS Providers Annual Conference and Exhibition, and the HCSA Annual Conference. I am pleased to share that we will be joined by Cheshire and Merseyside and North Central London ICSs who will update on their initial experience of being part of our Value Delivery Partnership Programme. I hope to see you there.
Andrew New CEO NHS Supply Chain
Date: 30 October