The NHS currently spends an estimated £18 billion a year on a vast range of goods and services.

THIS EVENT WILL EXPLORE HOW BEST TO ACCESS THE NHS MARKET AND THE VAST ARRAY OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOUR ORGANISATION

The NHS buys a diverse range of goods and services from catering to clinical equipment, from needles to syringes to electricity and fuel, and from bed linen to ambulances. If your company can provide the products or services required by the NHS then you need to understand how health procurement operates.

A ONE-DAY SEMINAR FOR CURRENT
AND POTENTIAL NHS SUPPLIERS

Why should I attend this event?

The NHS has considerable spending power. In 2007-08 the health budget for England alone was over £90 million, with around 20% of that figure being spent on a diverse range of goods and services. NHS procurement involves introducing competition to certain markets where necessary, identifying new products and suppliers, monitoring quality, ensuring continuity of supply and negotiating the best possible terms.

This event will provide an insight into procurement at all levels of the NHS including:

• National contracts
• Collaborative Procurement Hubs
• Regional purchasing

How does the NHS buy?

Since 2000, health care procurement has been carried out at national level by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA). In 2006, the logistics arm of the NHS, NHS Logistics, together with the procurement of certain categories of consumables, was outsourced. A contract for 10 years was awarded to DHL, which now operates under licence to the Department of Health as NHS Supply Chain. At a regional level, Collaborative Procurement Hubs are being formed to manage expenditure on behalf of a number of NHS Trusts. Plans are in place for 10 such organisations, some of which are already well established while others are at implementation stage. Finally, individual Trusts also have their own purchasing organisations which buy specified goods and services on behalf of their own organisation.

What will I learn?

The event will examine the various levels of health care procurement and how each fits into the overall purchasing picture, giving you a better understanding of how to enter the market. In addition, there will be an explanation of how the EU Public Procurement Directives affect suppliers when tendering for contracts. These regulations can be quite daunting, and you need to know how to work within the rules in order to avoid missing out on potential opportunities.

This event is a must for both existing and potential suppliers to the NHS and for anyone wishing to keep up to date with developments across this ever-changing business sector.