World-class procurement in the NHS is not a slogan; it is a necessity. Better procurement will save lives. High performing trusts will embrace it. The pressures on the NHS to secure much better value from the £20bn a year procurement spend by its hospital trusts are immense. A combination of joined-up procurement to maximise leverage and manage supply chains, with investment in much greater capability, should deliver some huge savings. Just a 5% improvement will save £1bn – equivalent to employing an extra 30,000 nurses. Alternatively, it could release resources to procure new, state-of-the-art equipment. The revised EU procurement directives will help the NHS to achieve these objectives and make it easier to take advantage of innovation.

Big benefits require radical change. Public Service Events' Embedding World Class Procurement in the NHS: better procurement, better value, better care conference will brief delegates about the changes, how they and the NHS trusts can engage with them, and the practical steps they will need to take.