Biggest-ever P4H England a huge success

With a major shake-up of the NHS being implemented just a few days previously ‒ as Integrated Care Systems went live ‒ P4H England 2022 was sure to have plenty of talking points, and it certainly did not disappoint.

One of the largest gatherings of healthcare procurement professionals that P4H has ever hosted, this year’s event was a huge success.

After two years of limited face-to-face meetings, P4H England bounced back with people delighted to be meeting up again and some experiencing their very first procurement event.

The mood across the exhibition hall was incredibly positive, with delegates, exhibitors and speakers enjoying a full day of knowledge sharing, innovation and best practice.

Change & resilience

Change, resilience, social value and sustainability were key talking points across the whole arena.

The Keynote Arena was standing room only for every one of our speakers, while both the Procurement Skills and Supply Chain & Innovation Zones were also busy all day, with delegates learning about tendering in the healthcare sector and how procurement is changing across the sector.

We were delighted to welcome speakers from across the NHS and the Health Care Supply Association (HCSA) to our keynote stage, which was hosted by Chair Alyson Brett, Chief Executive Officer, NHS Commercial Solutions, who commented: “The NHS is going through a period of incredible challenge and transformation as we wrestle with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, supply chain vulnerabilities, structural change and rising costs.

“But adversity is a powerful driver of progress and there are exciting opportunities ahead of us too.

“If Covid has taught us anything it is that we are incredibly resilient and can overcome any obstacle or barrier in our path.”

Hitting targets

The opening address was given jointly by David Williams, Director of Procurement, NHS England and NHS Improvement, and Preeya Baillie, Director of Procurement Transformation and Commercial Delivery, NHS England and NHS Improvement, who both talked to a packed house about sustainability and resilience within the NHS supply chain, current legislation changes, and the lessons learned from the pandemic.

Andy Windsor, Commercial Director at NHS Supply Chain, also held a popular session, discussing how NHS Supply Chain is critical to delivering value for the NHS, which will result in better patient outcomes. He was followed by Keith Rowley, Managing Director, NOE CPC & Chief Officer, Health Care Supply Association, who gave an interesting insight into the view from the NHS Procurement Profession, and learning to adapt and change to a new procurement regime as the Procurement Bill is introduced.

Delivering efficiencies

While the world listened to a certain resignation speech, the delegates at P4H were fully focused on the session hosted by Simon Walsh, Group Procurement Director & Joint GM Procurement Lead, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and what he had to say about NHS procurement and how top-quality procurement and trained staff can help deliver efficiencies and savings.

Interest did not wane as we introduced our final speakers of the day, as the arena remained crowded. Michelle McCann, Director for Sustainability at NHS London Procurement Partnership, focussed on tackling sustainability within the procurement arena and the NHS journey to net zero ‒ an increasingly important part of the NHS ‒ and about how suppliers can help achieve these ambitions.

Finally, Liam Horkin, Head of Clinical Procurement with East Suffolk North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, who talked about the impact procurement can have on the NHS, patients and staff.

Officially supported by NHS Supply Chain

P4H England is officially supported by NHS Supply Chain. Visitors to the NHS Supply Chain Pavilion met with NHS Supply Chain representatives to learn more about the work they do and how organisations can supply to the healthcare sector. The Pavilion, as always, was incredibly popular, with many delegates keen to know the latest procurement opportunities and tendering best practice.

NHS Supply Chain manages the sourcing, delivery and supply of healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales.

Skills & learning

Another huge draw on the day was our skills and learning zones, where experts provided invaluable advice on tendering in healthcare. Phil Kinnell, Senior Procurement Consultant, PASS Procurement and Eddie Regan, Principal Consultant, PASS Procurement, hosted several sessions which will help suppliers put together more attractive bids.

Specialised sessions on social value and sustainability were also held. Social value is becoming more important within public sector procurement, while improving sustainability across suppliers will help the NHS achieve its net zero ambitions.

Sustainable supply chain

Martin Toomey, Sustainability Manager for NHS Supply Chain, held a popular session on delivering a sustainable supply chain. Later on, we saw Stuart Watkins, Health Strategy Manager at Crown Commercial Service, talk about taking a pragmatic approach to securing sustainability outcomes through procurement?

Exhibitors in our Product Showcase area were kept busy throughout the day, showcasing innovations and solutions to a stream of visitors. The showcase provided an invaluable opportunity to engage and develop new and existing partnerships with a wealth of leading suppliers who are actively delivering a diverse range of innovative products and services that can support both current and future procurement requirements.

The sheer range of suppliers and innovations available for the healthcare market is a good indicator of the volume and diversity of opportunities available within the market.

For more information on P4H and to register your interest for next year click here.

New healthcare market report: Beyond Collaboration and Transformation

Over £1 billion is spent every three days in the NHS. However, it can be a daunting and complex system to navigate when it comes to procurement. While there is a huge opportunity for procurement professionals, it’s important for both buying and supplying organisations to ensure they’re working together in the most efficient and effective way possible.

To help both NHS professionals and suppliers understand the healthcare procurement market in greater depth, BiP Solutions is pleased to announce Health Online’s latest market report, Current Trends in Healthcare Procurement: Beyond Collaboration and Transformation. Following the recent P4H England 2019 event, which took place at Birmingham’s NEC on 4 July, the report includes expert analysis and comment from procurement leaders who spoke at P4H on some of the major questions for contemporary healthcare procurement:

Collaboration across the NHS: what impact does the tension between centralised directives and devolved decision-making have on healthcare procurement, and how can trusts work together to cut costs while delivering on clinical requirements?

The buyer-supplier relationship: how do trusts ensure their frameworks are fit for purpose and attract the best supplier talent, while also ensuring that suppliers deliver to the terms of the contract?

Transformation: what is the relationship between large-scale, centralised transformation projects such as the new operating model for NHS Supply Chain, and continuous improvement at trust level?

Health Online is a new online community  bringing together NHS professionals and commercial partners from the world of healthcare. Offering the latest news covering all aspects of healthcare, features from thought leaders and media display opportunities, Health Online is a ‘one-stop shop’ for everything happening in healthcare today. Health Online Sales Director Sam Gilding said:

“Our ambition is for Health Online to become the default social community for professionals to network, share ideas and build long lasting relationships in this key marketplace.”

This exclusive report also includes

  • the results of Health Online’s recent ‘Impact of Procurement in Healthcare’ research survey, revealing what healthcare procurement leaders think about the challenges and opportunities currently facing them
  • analysis of the highest-spending NHS organisations in the NHS, and their key areas of spend
  • a full review of the P4H England event
  • and more.

To download a full copy of the report, or to register with Health Online and keep up with all the latest NHS and healthcare news, click here.

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!

P4H England 2018 – Event Overview

BiP P4H

The UK’s healthcare procurement community came together again at P4H England 2018.

We are pleased to announce that over 1300 attendees joined us at this prestigious event at the NEC, Birmingham on 12 July.

P4H England would like to thank all partners, sponsors, delegates, and exhibitors for their involvement this year which has helped make the event a success once again!

Find out more about the event below.

Keynote Arena

This year’s Keynote Arena brought together policymakers and thought leaders who presented their views on the current and future landscape of NHS public sector procurement in the UK. During the day, delegates heard speeches from:

  • Duncan Eaton – Executive Advisor to the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group
  • Chris Holmes – Supply Chain Director, Supply Chain Coordination Limited, Management Function of the NHS Supply Chain
  • Helen Lisle – Director of Procurement and Supplies, Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust
  • Keith Rowley – Managing Director, NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative
  • James Mayne – eProcurement and Inventory Manager, Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Beth Loudon – Head of Procurement Development, NHS Shared Business Services
  • Oliver Stopnitzky – Senior Fraud Prevention Officer, NHS Counter Fraud Authority

We spoke to Keith Rowley after his speech about the partnership the NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative has with P4H. He said that:

“P4H is an important event for us every year. It is a great opportunity to meet with suppliers and start conversations…There is an opportunity to have a dialogue with innovative ideas and things that don’t come up on the radar through the day to day BAU”.

P4H Partners

The P4H England event aims to give delegates an in-depth understanding of the NHS supply chain and how they can contribute to the future direction of healthcare procurement.

On the day, Chris Holmes spoke about the “Procurement Transformation Programme.” We asked him why it was important for NHS Supply Chain to partner with P4H England:

“P4H is one of the largest procurement conferences in the UK, so it is really important for us to attend. As an organisation that is talking about the new operating model for the NHS, this is an invaluable platform for us. It gives us the opportunity to a wide range of procurement professionals and suppliers”

Event Sponsors

Among the P4H England sponsors attending on the day was Lifecycle Management Group. Jonathan Wickens, Commercial Director of Lifecycle Management Group, told BiP why it was important to his business to attend and sponsor at P4H England this year:

“NHS procurement is going through a lot of change at the moment and it is important that we understand what that change is and show that we are keen to be a part of that.”

We also met with Oliver Stopinzky, representing our platinum sponsor, NHS Counter Fraud Authority. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) is a new organisation tasked to lead the fight against fraud, bribery and corruption in the NHS and the wider health sector. Oliver said:

“Our message is that we are here to collaborate with NHS organisations and work with them to protect them against fraud. It has been a very interesting conference with some great speakers.”

Among the other sponsors present on the day were:

  • GHX
  • NHS Professionals
  • Brightstar
  • ELCOM
  • Sharpak From Nolato Jaycare
  • Simon Jersey Ltd
  • Eon Energy
  • Thermal Compaction Group Ltd

Join us next year

Take part in next year’s event and register your interest now for P4H England 2019.

The event will take place on 11 July at the NEC, Birmingham.

Would you like to sponsor the 2019 event?

Contact us today to discuss booking your 2019 exhibition or sponsorship package asap – 0845 270 7066 or exhibitions@p4hengland.co.uk.

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: