We must continue to strive for a better and more productive NHS. The NHS in Scotland is both the nation’s largest employer of staff and the largest purchaser of goods and services, with an annual total budget across the sector of £8.64 billion for 2009-10 (official Scottish Government figures) and staff numbers of approximately 162,000 (as of September 2007). To achieve true value for money whilst maintaining services and performance, a truly meaningful dialogue across departments and between procurement personnel and private sector solution providers must be encouraged and pursued. The aim of this event is to instigate and facilitate just such a dialogue.


"I think that events like this are really, really important, because they provide an opportunity to bring a range of professionals together and they also provide the opportunity for those professionals to exchange good practice, to discuss and exchange ideas and hopefully to leave at the end of the day with an even better sense of how collectively we go about facing up to the challenge we are here to discuss today."

Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, speaking at Public Service Events' Infection Control: Scotland Event in July.