Procurement can play a valuable role in driving quality and value, and stimulating the economy. In February 2011, a report by the National Audit Office criticised the fragmented system of procurement in the NHS, saying it produced a great deal of waste. Hospitals were being charged different amounts for the same product; they were ordering in inefficient ways and failing to control the range of products they purchased. Whilst some improvements in NHS procurement are evident, the pace of change is not sufficient to meet the financial challenge facing the health service.

The Department of Health is now developing a new strategy that was due for publication in December 2012, which will inform the approach to procurement in the modernised NHS. The ambition is to establish a world-class procurement system in the NHS, generating over £1bn of savings through improved procurement, and building strong relationships with industry that deliver game-changing procurement solutions.

World Class Procurement in the NHS: delivering quality and value will provide delegates with an opportunity to hear about and understand the changes and how they will be implemented from the people leading them, and how they will need to engage with them to ensure successful delivery of the full benefits.