OVERVIEW

The NHS, through QIPP, is expected to deliver procurement savings of £1.2bn by 2014/15. However, is that enough? The NHS as a whole is expected to deliver efficiencies of some £20bn, which implies that, if procurement was to take its fair share, savings of some £3bn-3.5bn would be needed.

To achieve these savings without reducing quality and service would be a huge challenge for any organisation. 'A step change' is easy to roll off the tongue, but that is what will be required to stand any chance of achieving savings of this magnitude. The difficulty of measuring many procurement savings adds a further complication. This will therefore require a concerted effort by people of all professions in the NHS. It will also require a disciplined approach to making maximum use of purchasing agreements and purchasing agencies so that the scale of the NHS's purchasing spend can be leveraged effectively on behalf of all. However, the alternative is larger job cuts than would otherwise be the case, so there is an incentive for the professions to do so.

The Department of Health is working with the NHS to draw up a new strategy for NHS procurement and this was to have been published by 31st March 2012. There will instead be a more fundamental look at NHS procurement. A New Strategy for NHS Procurement will mark the launch of a new vision for NHS procurement, engaging with and briefing delegates from all parts and professions within the NHS, promoting discussion about the implications and, in particular, how it can be implemented and the savings can be achieved.

A New Strategy for NHS Procurement: maximising benefits and opportunities will therefore address the key issues, with a summary of the vision, the role of leadership in ensuring delivery, addressing clinical technology and how different approaches can deliver substantial savings without risk to patients. Finance directors have a key role in delivering savings and this will be examined along with questions of accountability and how one can ensure it is appropriately applied. The Health Care Supply Association, representing the procurement professionals, is also critical to delivery. The procurement profession must be able to engage more effectively with the other professions, but that in turn requires greater willingness from all parties. An excellent line-up of speakers plus a panel debate at the end will ensure that all these issues are covered, and more. The need to deliver such large savings means that this conference is one that NHS professionals definitely cannot afford to miss.