How can NHS procurement be improved?

The NHS spends over £30bn a year through procurement, on critical clinical services, medicines, equipment, IT, building maintenance, catering and cleaning. But does it spend this money well? During the pandemic questions were raised about value for money and transparency. With NHS England recently creating a new central commercial function to coordinate the work of the more than 4,000 staff working on NHS procurement and supply chain, how can the NHS make the most of its collective buying power and ensure money isn’t wasted? What lessons can be learned from NHS procurement during the pandemic? How can the NHS create more resilient supply chains? What role can procurement play in tackling health inequalities and the NHS’s commitment to reach net zero by 2045? And how can the NHS take advantage of the changes proposed in the Procurement Bill? To answer these questions, the Institute for Government convened an expert panel including: Jacqui Rock, Chief Commercial Officer at NHS England David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network Patrick Parkin, Partner at Burges Salmon Luella Trickett, Director, Value and Access at the Association of British HealthTech Industries The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.