HSJ has reported that NHS England is slowing down its delivery plans to create “a globally renowned” healthcare procurement operation for the health service.
The Strategic Framework for NHS Commercial was published in November 2023 and set out 26 strategic priorities. But HSJ has learned NHSE sent out a survey to local procurement leaders last month, asking them to identify the five that should be maintained or accelerated in 2025-26.
The survey also confirmed six of the priorities have already been paused – and a senior source familiar with the project told HSJ the centre was slowing down on overall delivery.
Turnover and disruption among the commercial leadership, and a lack of resources on NHSE’s commercial team, means the centre has struggled to make progress on the strategic framework’s 26 initiatives, the source told HSJ.
The strategy says the “core deliverables” were meant to be delivered together over three to five years to set up the commercial directorate as “a globally renowned commercial function in healthcare”.
But as of October, work had yet to start on four of them although some progress had been made on the other 22, according to internal documents seen by HSJ.
Date: 13 March