HCSA was saddened to learn of the death of Eric Jackson.
Eric was dedicated to the NHS and NHS Procurement and undertook several difficult and high-profile roles during periods of immense change for the sector.
In the 1980s, he was Regional Supplies Officer for Oxford Region and from there in the early 1990s was recruited into the embryonic NHS Supplies organisation initially as a Divisional Director and subsequently National Director of Purchasing.
As NHS Supplies transitioned to NHS PASA in 2000s, he then assumed a wider organisational role in systems development before retirement in 2005.
Eric was passionate about product coding and its universal adoption and his development of price / cost benchmarking was revelatory in an era where performance measurement was in its infancy.
Throughout his career, Eric was renowned for his exceptional eye for detail, a sharp enquiring mind and an unwavering commitment to doing what was best for the NHS procurement community.
He also collected an extraordinary library of anecdotes throughout his career which he would share to educate and entertain.
Eric believed it was a privilege to work for the service and demanded the highest standards of himself and his staff – standards that endure to this day as a benchmark.
HCSA will be in consultation with his family to ensure that Eric’s passing along with his contribution to the profession is appropriately recognised.
Date: 8 January