Transforming healthcare procurement at P4H England

The UK’s premier healthcare procurement event, P4H England, returned to the NEC, Birmingham on 4 July 2019. The event welcomed over 1500 delegates from the NHS, the wider healthcare sector and the private sector supply chain, with a packed schedule including keynote talks, training and knowledge exchange sessions, and many opportunities for buyers and suppliers to meet and discuss their needs.

Many of the day’s sessions had standing room only, demonstrating both the quality of the talks on offer and the enthusiasm of the P4H audience.

You can see some of the day’s highlights here, and read more below:

Keynote Arena

The Keynote Arena witnessed a plethora of talks from procurement leaders from throughout the healthcare sector, as well as a motivational lecture from world-famous explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Chair Glen Hodgson kicked off the day by suggesting that “our job today is to avoid the noise and think strategically – focusing on the great work done by colleagues to make the NHS safe.” Stephen Foulser, Customer Engagement Director at NHS Supply Chain, delivered the first talk of the day, reflecting on a year of the new NHS Supply Chain Operating Model. Next up, Michael Pace, Managing Director of Corporate Services at the NHS London Procurement Partnership, stressed the importance of collaborative work to efficient procurement. Mr Pace said that despite the huge changes that have come to bear on NHS procurement over the last 12 months, and what he understands as areas where improvements still need to be made, there was much to be positive about.

“I’m more excited by the opportunities in front of me than I ever have been as an NHS procurement professional before.” – Michael Pace, Managing Director, Corporate Services, NHS London Procurement Partnership

Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ lecture proved to be the day’s main draw for many attendees, with delegates queueing several rows back from the Keynote Arena to hear about the explorer’s experiences over more than 50 years across Oman, the River Nile, Vancouver, Antarctica and the Arctic Circle. Sir Ranulph emphasised the importance of teamwork, framing all his expeditions as the achievements of a dedicated team. Aside from the focus on collaboration, the relevance of Sir Ranulph’s talk to a healthcare audience was made obvious through his sharing of several graphic photos detailing the after-effects of severe frostbite!

ranulph-fiennes-p4h-england

Sir Ranulph Fiennes delivers his keynote lecture

The afternoon at the Keynote Arena was equally busy, with talks including Pia Larsen, Director of Procurement and Supply Chain at University College London NHS Foundation Trust, delivering a detailed case study of what transforming procurement at a particular trust looks like. The theme of asking what ‘collaboration’ looks like, and how it can change NHS procurement, continued with two talks about the experience in different parts of Greater Manchester, from Neil Hind, Procurement Lead at the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, and Joe Lever, Group Procurement Director at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group. The final keynote talk of the day saw Tom Wynne, Head of Procurement for London at NHS Improvement, talking about the forthcoming Procurement Target Operating Model, allowing delegates to see some of the ways in which NHS procurement is set to be reshaped in the coming months and years.

Market Support and Engagement Zone

The Market Support and Engagement Zone at P4H England 2019 allowed suppliers to understand how they could best engage earlier with buyers across the NHS and beyond. Teams representing Tracker, Supply2Gov, Cyber Essentials and Market Engagement heard first-hand about some of the challenges faced by the private sector and were able to offer expert advice on how to leverage best-in-class tools to improve tender win rates and identify strategic business opportunities. Delegates were also able to visit the on-stand juice blend bar, which proved unsurprisingly popular on a very warm day!

“We’d like to say a massive thank-you to Tru Foo, our juice suppliers, for keeping us and the delegates refreshed throughout the day. We had some really insightful conversations with suppliers looking to increase their visibility in the public sector market, and we hope that each of them left the stand with actionable information that helps them grow their business in this market.” – Susan Staley, Head of Digital Marketing, BiP Solutions

BiP Solutions customers were also offered exclusive access to the VIP lounge, providing a quiet space throughout the day to catch up with colleagues and emails, enjoy refreshments and attend several VIP-only talks.

Health Online

As the official media partner of P4H, Health Online was proud to be represented at the event. Interest in Health Online’s dedicated online healthcare community proved high, with a talk from Health Online Sales Manager Soafyaan Zia seeing delegates literally queueing out of the door to attend! You can learn more via Health Online’s own P4H review.

Soafyaan Zia delivering a talk on Health Online at P4H England

Soafyaan Zia’s talk introduced delegates to Health Online

What’s next?

Scotland’s and Wales’ procurement communities will come together later this year at Procurex Scotland on 29 October in Glasgow and Procurex Wales on 7 November in Cardiff. Register today or learn more about sponsorship opportunities here.

There’s also still time to enter your procurement team or project for the prestigious GO Awards, with presentation ceremonies taking place on the evenings of Procurex Scotland and Procurex Wales. Share your procurement success stories here!

Building connections at the UK Infrastructure Show

Bigger and better than ever before, on 30th April the UK Infrastructure Show was back at the NEC, Birmingham for its third year.

The UK’s leading infrastructure and supply chain event was once again a roaring success, connecting buyers and suppliers on the main stage of the sector.

This year, the event combined with the UK Public Sector Expo and Procurex National, with UKIS2019 seeing 1,400 delegates enjoying over 30 free training sessions, five speakers in the Keynote Arena, six Public Sector Solutions Live speakers, four Networking & Collaboration Zones, a Product Showcase Exhibition and the wealth of knowledge demonstrated in the four skills development zones throughout the event.

With over £600bn and 700 projects on the National Infrastructure Pipeline, the show had a huge range of information and opportunities on offer from some of the biggest names and projects within the infrastructure arena.

Infrastructure has been one of the better performers for the construction industry throughout this unsettled political and economic period, as reflected in the attendance numbers and buoyancy amongst the infrastructure community.

The Keynote stage

The Keynote stage, hosting some of the major players in the infrastructure sector, was the focus of the event. A very popular area of the show, at times it was standing room only as people jostled to hear the latest from the National Infrastructure Commission, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, HS2, the Department for Transport and Scape Procure.

Chaired by Stephen Kinnell of supply chain specialists CompeteFor, key themes coming through the informative keynote speeches were the need for collaboration, innovation and a long-term joined-up approach.

First up, Phil Graham, Chief Executive of the National Infrastructure Commission, addressed the audience. He discussed how important infrastructure is to the country, as a key driver of the economy and improver of change.

Phil Graham from National Infrastructure Commission

Matthew Vickerstaff, Interim Chief Executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, followed, discussing how delivery of the National Infrastructure Pipeline will be achieved, looking at strategic investment, infrastructure priorities, and the challenges in improving infrastructure performance.

An informative session from Mark Howard, HS2 Chief Engineer, was up next. As Europe’s biggest infrastructure project currently underway, HS2 is a flagship for the infrastructure sector. Mr Howard told the packed room, that up to this point, the amount of track already built equals half the length of the UK – giving us some idea of the huge undertaking this project is.

Once again, the theme of collaboration and a joined up approach was key, with the support of organisations such as the Midlands Engine and Northern Powerhouse crucial to successful delivery.

The next session was held by Catherine de Marco, Deputy Director Infrastructure, Skills and Efficiency at Department for Transport. Ms de Marco focused on the issues of skilled labour and the requirement for new, technology-minded individuals to be enticed into the construction, transport and infrastructure sectors.

Last to the podium was Adrian Hill, Acting Director of Frameworks at Scape Procure. An appropriate close to the arena, the essence of Scape Procure and Mr Hill’s address was to remind the audience that with all infrastructure projects, we are not just investing in the projects, but communities.

Attendees heard again, how collaboration, fair payment, continual improvement and adoption of new technologies and innovations was vital for the sector to ensure economic benefits from the investments.

Subsector zones

The excitement didn’t end with the keynote arena – the floor was host to many exhibitors, showcasing new trends, technologies and innovations to a captive audience.

Two zones, specifically designed to highlight the growing subsectors within infrastructure, were also available to delegates.

In Zone 1, The Energy and Social Infrastructure zone, attendees heard from a range of specialists and suppliers working in the sector.

Over in Zone 2, Transport, sessions from some of the leading figures in infrastructure development in the West Midlands spoke to a lively audience.

Next steps

We would like to thank all delegates, visitors, partners, sponsors and exhibitors at UKIS for helping to make such a successful show and representing an industry with huge potential for growth and development.

To register your interest or to discuss booking your 2020 exhibition or sponsorship package, click here.

 

UK National GO Awards finalists announced

UK National GO Awards logo

The finalists for the UK National GO Awards have been announced.

Celebrating the best in all aspects of public procurement, the UK National GO Awards presentation ceremony will take place at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham on 30th April. The standard of entries this year was very high, so we would like to extend our congratulations to all nominees, and thank everyone who entered.

All entries have been reviewed by our judging panel comprised of experts from across UK procurement. You can learn more about the judges here. We would like to thank all members of the panel for their time.

The full list of finalists is as follows:

GO Best Service Award – Medium and Large Organisations

  • Lyreco
  • Warmworks Scotland
  • Crown Commercial Service
  • NHS Shared Business Services
  • Hays and Birmingham City Council
  • EDF Energy, CCS, SP, TEC and NEPO
  • GRI

GO Best Service Award – Micro and Small Businesses and Third Sector Organisations

  • Re-Tek
  • AdviseInc Ltd.
  • NHS Shared Business Services
  • Ingenica Solutions and Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
  • Cadence Innova Ltd

GO Emerging Procurement Talent Award

  • Leidos Supply Limited
  • Cardiff Council
  • Scotland Excel

GO Infrastructure Project of the Year Award
Sponsored by Site Diary

  • Milton Keynes Council
  • Transport for Wales, Infrastructure Advisory UK Ltd, Steer and Mott McDonald
  • Transport Scotland:  A737 Dalry Bypass Project
  • Transport Scotland: A9 Dualling: Kincraig to Dalraddy
  • Transport Scotland: Forth Replacement Crossing

GO Procurement Innovation of the Year Award – Taking the procurement function forward – Health and Social Care
Sponsored by Blue Badger

  • CPD
  • Clonallon Laboratories Ltd
  • Angus Council/Angus Health & Social Care Partnership
  • Leicester City Council and Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group
  • Thames Valley Police
  • Leicestershire County Council
  • London Borough of Tower Hamlets
  • North Lincolnshire Council
  • Scan4Safety, Department of Health and Social Care

GO Procurement Innovation of the Year Award – Taking the procurement function forward – NHS Health and Social Care
Sponsored by Blue Badger

  • Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • NHS Wales Informatics Service
  • Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust and North West Shared Infrastructure Service and others
  • NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit
  • University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
  • NHS Lancashire Procurement Cluster
  • The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Managed Service for the Provision of Digital Transformation Solutions
  • The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: On-site Surgical and Medical Capacity Solutions
  • South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw Integrated Care System
  • NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support and NHS England
  • NHS Shared Business Services and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
  • NHS Wales Informatics Service

GO Procurement Innovation of the Year Award – Taking the procurement function forward: Local Government, Central Government and Other Organisations
Sponsored by Statkraft 

  • Angus Council/Angus Health & Social Care Partnership
  • West London Alliance
  • Crown Commercial Service
  • National Commercial Board
  • Public Power Solutions, Swindon Borough Council
  • Kent Police and Essex Police
  • Sandwell Council
  • The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Transport Scotland
  • Kirklees Council
  • Bank of England

GO Procurement Leadership of the Year Award – Local Government & Other Organisations
Sponsored by Lyreco 

  • Angus Council
  • University of Strathclyde, DHI, NHS NSS and the Scottish Government
  • Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
  • Scotland Excel
  • STAR Procurement
  • North Yorkshire County Council

GO Procurement Leadership of the Year Award – Central Government & Healthcare Organisations

  • Office for National Statistics
  • The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Bank of England

GO Procurement Project of the year award (above £20m value) – Local Government and Consortia
Sponsored by Epson 

  • Angus Council/Angus Health & Social Care Partnership
  • NEPO
  • North Yorkshire County Council and Nynet
  • London Boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Redbridge (WELR)
  • Taunton Deane Borough Council
  • North Lincolnshire Council
  • London Borough of Waltham Forest
  • Kirklees Council

GO Procurement Project of the year award (above £20m value) – Other Organisations
Sponsored by Epson 

  • NHS Wales Informatics Service
  • Police Scotland
  • Translink
  • NHS Wales Informatics Services
  • Crown Commercial Service: Facilities Management Marketplace
  • Crown Commercial Service: Media Buying “cutting-edge” procurement
  • Department for International Development
  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • North of England Commissioning Support Unit and NHS England (Specialised Commissioning, North Region)
  • Transport for Wales, Infrastructure Advisory UK Ltd, Steer and Mott McDonald
  • Translink

GO Procurement Project of the year award (sub-£20m value)
Sponsored by PlanLink 

  • Renfrewshire Council
  • Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, North West Shared Infrastructure Service and others
  • NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU
  • Birmingham City University
  • NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit, West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group, and East Leicestershire & Rutland Clinical Commissioning Group
  • Scotland Excel and SEEMiS
  • Thames Valley Police
  • NHS Wales – Shared Services Partnership
  • Sedgemoor District Council
  • NHS Shared Business Services and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

GO Procurement Team of the Year Award – Health and Social Care Organisations

  • NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership – Procurement Serivces
  • University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH)
  • North of England Commissioning Support Unit
  • NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support and NHS England
  • Northern Care Alliance Procurement Team (Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust & Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust)
  • NHS Wales – Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP)
  • The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

GO Procurement Team of the Year Award – Local Government, Central Government and Other Organisations
Sponsored by Banner

  • Translink: Future Ticketing System (TFTS)
  • Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue Services
  • Network Homes
  • Crown Commercial Service
  • Translink: Procurement Team
  • Crown Prosecution Service: Digital Commercial Team
  • North Yorkshire County Council
  • National LGPS Frameworks
  • Crown Prosecution Service: Procurement and Commercial Services Team
  • Kirklees Council
  • Transport Scotland
  • Leicestershire Police FHQ
  • Procurement & Logistics Service (a subsidiary of the Business Services Organisation) partnering with all Health and Social Care Trusts and the Department of Health
  • NHS Scotland National Procurement Equipping Sourcing Team, working with NSS Health Facilities Scotland Equipping Team
  • University of Strathclyde

GO Social and Community Benefit in Procurement Award – Local Authority, Consortia and Housing
Sponsored by Edenred

  • Welshpool Town Council
  • Wirral Council
  • NEPO
  • Cardiff Council
  • North Yorkshire County Council
  • Liverpool City Council: Liverpool Parklife
  • Liverpool City Council: Liverpool Adult Learning Service
  • Tai Tarian

GO Social and Community Benefit in Procurement Award – Other Organisations
Sponsored by Edenred 

  • Construction Impact Framework, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and University of Salford
  • Re-tek UK Ltd
  • NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership – Procurement Services
  • Birmingham City University
  • St Georges University Hospital Foundation Trust
  • NHS Arden & GEM CSU, West Midlands Combined Authority, NHS Wolverhampton CCG and Social Finance
  • University of Edinburgh
  • Scottish Government – SG Procurement, Contract Management & Capability Team
  • Translink
  • Department for Infrastructure, Graham Farrans Joint Venture, AECOM

Deadline approaching for the UK National GO Awards

UK National GO Awards logo

There’s still time to submit your entry for the UK National GO Awards before the deadline of Friday 1st March.

The GO Awards celebrate the best in public procurement from throughout the UK, recognising contributions from the public, private and third sectors. Entering the awards gives you the opportunity to raise your profile, share best practice with your peers, and have your organisation’s procurement success story recognised. Learn more and enter the awards here.

As well as the prestige of a nomination, there’s the networking opportunities afforded by the GO Awards presentation ceremony. Whether you are a supplier to or a buyer for the public sector, the GO Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate procurement excellence, gain best practice insight and meet fellow procurement professionals at the networking opportunity of the year. Taking place on the evening of Procurex National, 30th April, the exclusive, black-tie UK National GO Awards ceremony will be held this year at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham.

Grahame Steed, Business Intelligence and e Sourcing Director at BiP Solutions, said of the awards:

 It’s hard to believe that the submissions deadline for the National UK GO Awards is so near – 1st March, in case you don’t have it in your diary. With so much change happening across the public sector, the recognition of consistent excellence and best practice is more important than ever before. We’re looking forward to once again recognising and celebrating progress across the entire public sector supply chain, culminating with the Awards ceremony on 30th April. I urge all organisations across the public sector – and those working with them – to take the time to enter these Awards.

To view all the categories of awards, learn more and submit your entry today, click here.

To find out more about BiP Solutions, visit www.bipsolutions.com.

P4H 2016 review

P4H 2016The air was electric with possibility at the NEC, Birmingham on 13 July for this year’s P4H conference and exhibition. Representatives from both the public and private sectors descended on the venue from across the UK to learn about the latest developments in healthcare procurement, network with their peers and build new and lasting business relationships. Here, BiP Solutions journalist Domhnall Macinnes recounts some of the events of the day.

Opportunity began in the keynote arena at P4H 2016 – The Procurement Event for Health, held on 13 July at the NEC, Birmingham.

Kicking off the keynote speeches was meeting chair Professor Duncan Eaton, Executive Advisor at the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group, who launched the audience into an enthralling series of addresses which set the tone for the day and encapsulated the value of P4H, attracting delegates from all corners of the venue.

Professor Eaton said: “The event today intends to bring together those from the procurement world and suppliers to listen and talk and be informed and contribute to the future of health procurement. This keynote arena is a major part of the programme. We’ve put together a range of speakers to tell us about current initiatives and their views of the future.”

Renowned names in procurement such as Managing Director of Marc1 Ltd Colin Cram proceeded to inform the packed arena about emerging developments in the healthcare procurement landscape. Mr Cram’s talk, entitled ‘Brexit – The challenges and opportunities for NHS procurement’, was one not to be missed.

Following his speech, Mr Cram commented: “What I’d really like for people to take from my speech today is that they need to raise their game in procurement. Instead of looking at ways of just saving procurement costs and reducing prices, see what opportunities and what products there are available that will help reduce NHS costs overall.”

He continued: “All of the smaller companies find it almost impossible to engage with NHS hospitals as they’d have to try and sell to them one by one. Small companies do not have the resources to do so.

“I reckon that if procurement people took advantage of the opportunities out there – doing things differently – the potential savings for the NHS and the benefits to patients would be immeasurable.”

Professor Eaton also introduced Pat Mills, Commercial Director, Department of Health, who delivered a stimulating address enititled ‘NHS Procurement – The National Programme’. Mr Mills discussed the value of making savings within the NHS and the immeasurably valuable things that could be done with these savings.

Later in an interview, he reflected on his speech: “The key message I would like people to take away with them today is about money. Money is critical. We want to go about making savings, and procurement is a great way of doing that. The procurement community as a whole in general can deliver maybe £1 billion worth of savings. That’s two hospitals a year. But we’ve got to work together.”

Within the event’s dedicated buyer and supplier zones, stakeholders from across the public and private sector took advantage of the various hubs offering networking and advice. At the Best Practice Case Study Zone, delegates were offered a unique opportunity to learn from the past successes of others through explanatory presentations. Nick Hodgson, Supplier Development Advisor for the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, was at the zone co-presenting on the Savings Swap Shop, a programme which has enabled ten NHS trusts in the south west of England and beyond to save in excess of £850,000 through sharing ideas for efficiencies in procurement.

Mr Hodgson said: “It’s important for people to attend events such as P4H for the same principle as our message today. It’s about collaboration – getting together and realising that everyone in different hospitals and different organisations is actually working on the same projects. So they may have a better way of working on things which can help us save time, find efficiencies and ultimately save money as well.”

On the arena floor, partners, exhibitors and sponsors networked throughout the day with stakeholders, meeting delegates at their stands to plant the seeds of blossoming new relationships.

Naomi Clews, Senior Category Lead at the Crown Commercial Service, mused on the vital role P4H plays and why the CCS acted as an official partner to the event: “We absolutely want to make ourselves visible to as many suppliers and customers, especially within the NHS, as possible. Bringing buyers and suppliers together is really important. It’s the only way that we can learn and innovate and get better for our customers in the NHS. The information that we gain at P4H is the information that we take back to redevelop some of our strategies.”

Building upon this year’s success, next year’s event promises to deliver even more opportunities to buyers and suppliers in the healthcare sector. With yet another busy schedule of engagement, advice and professional development, P4H will return in summer 2017.

 button (4)

Collaboration in Healthcare Supply Chains: P4H

Jim Miller NHSNHS National Services Scotland is a national NHS board which provides help and support to NHS Scotland. Jim Miller, NHS National Services Scotland’s Interim Director Procurement, Commissioning and Facilities, will be at the keynote arena at the P4H 2016 conference in Birmingham on 13 July to delivering an unmissable speech. Ahead of the event, BiP Solutions journalist Domhnall Macinnes caught up with Mr Miller to hear about collaborative procurement and the future of UK healthcare procurement.

Background

Jim Miller has a wide variety of procurement experience across both the public and private sectors. He worked in sectors ranging from aviation to construction to public administration prior to joining NHS Scotland in 2006 as Director of Strategic Sourcing. In September 2015 he became Interim Director of Procurement, Commissioning and Facilities at NHS National Services Scotland.

Mr Miller said: “I lead a strategic business unit which encompasses the national collaborative procurement organisation, which provides contract and supply chain solutions across all 22 Scottish health organisations. Additionally, the organisation provides specialist commissioning and population screening services, and is the centre of expertise for facilities, engineering and environmental management.”

A piece of collaborative advice

Mr Miller discussed collaborative procurement and its importance, and had some advice for buyers considering it. Collaborative procurement is aimed at aiding the Scottish public sector to form partnerships between buying organisations, the Centres of Expertise (CoE) and suppliers, creating real value for money.

He counselled: “Don’t be afraid! There are lots of examples where this has worked really well. Equally, the venture is only as good as the weakest link.

“We have recently developed a new type of collaborative arrangement in Scotland where the strength lies with the members, who effectively self-regulate the system. We will not achieve further productivity gains, embrace innovation or truly support the health service if we work in isolation.”

Work together

Mr Miller also had advice for suppliers thinking of selling to collaborative procurement ventures. It is his firm view that buyers and suppliers must work together.

He commented: “Work with them. Understand that they (the buyers) may be trying to gauge the benefit of collaboration as well. Identify how the collaboration can be of mutual benefit by, for example, reducing the ‘cost to serve’ and identify how this can translate to commercial advantage.

“Also be aware of the cost of change; it will be more complex to implement across multiple sites than a single site, for example, but it also provides opportunities to standardise and support single systems of care.”

A problem and a solution

Mr Miller says that increasing demand and decreasing budgets is the primary challenge facing UK healthcare today. He argues that a move to a preventative healthcare system is vital, and procurement needs to be taking this on board in order to be prepared.

Thankfully, however, as he notes, NHS National Services Scotland is already taking steps to prepare for these challenges.

He explained: “We are the largest shared service organisation in Scotland. We currently provide a range of services including procurement and supply chain but also, for example, central legal services, payment services to primary care, counter-fraud services and health information services, amongst others. The ability to provide a complete range of services allows Health Boards to concentrate on the delivery of patient care and preventative healthcare.”

The future

Concluding, Mr Miller looked to the near future of UK healthcare procurement and the changes that he foresees occurring. He discussed three primary areas he feels should most be focused on. He touched again on collaboration and preventative healthcare, but said he hopes to see collaborative relationships evolving into something more.

Mr Miller said: “I would concentrate on three areas. Firstly, collaboration maturing into true partnering, which includes the market and providers as well as the health service. The phrase is used a lot but there is a long way to go.

“Secondly, the move towards a preventative healthcare culture and increased patient decision-making will require very different commercial and delivery models.

“Thirdly, to reference Simon Syneck, start with the why. In other words, it’s very easy to concentrate on savings, delivery performance, product and service availability and so on. We are all here to serve the patient and improve the health of the population. Plugging this into the procurement DNA will, I believe, continue to motivate the healthcare procurement community.”

On P4H

The good news for delegates attending this year’s P4H conference at the NEC, Birmingham is that Mr Miller will be in attendance for the entire event and is offering one-on-one sessions on the day or with prior notice.

With regard to the event itself, Mr Miller touched on P4H’s value in promoting best procurement practice.

He said: “The health landscape is changing dramatically and procurement has a significant part to play in making the changes successful and sustainable. Sharing and learning from colleagues within health and, just as importantly, the market is key. P4H provides this opportunity in one place.

“The whole event looks very interesting. For me one of the primary benefits is to interact with colleagues working in other parts of the health system across the UK.”

How P4H can help you

This year’s P4H event is set to offer a prime occasion for collaboration, with the PH4 Collaboration Zones providing delegates the chance to learn about both buyer and supplier opportunities.

Delegates will be offered the chance to network with buyers in the Buyer Engagement Village, boosting your peer contact list.

Delegates will also have the unique opportunity to meet with representatives of the NHS and furthermore hear advice from industry experts in the same prime location.

Don’t miss your chance to attend.

Register for P4H today

BiP Solutions Limited is a company registered in Scotland with Company Number SC086146 and VAT number 383030966 and having its registered office at Medius, 60 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, G51 1DZ.

Select a page to copy this section to:

Select where in the level you want it inserted: