Carter Review: practical advice for NHS Procurement

From speaking to NHS organisations across the UK, it’s clear that many now face an uphill battle to achieve their obligations under the Carter Review. Few find themselves with either the time or the resource to deliver the changes in these cash-strapped times; and most find the expectations run counter to the way they have been operating to date.

There are exceptions. A number of Trusts across the UK are already developing their approach to Procurement efficiencies for Carter, and parts of the North West and London are already coming together to collaborate. However, for the wider NHS community, the Carter Review represents a noble ambition for which they are playing catch up just to get started.

In short, there is a foundation to be laid before procurement partnerships with other Trusts and a national approach can be effective.

So for those looking to progress their Procurement agenda, what would the practical advice be? I approached two well-respected NHS Procurement and Transformation experts within my network to get their thoughts. Their response? It may not be as complicated as we all fear.

The Four ‘Get Rights’

The key to improving Procurement, they say, is to change how we approach it. At the centre of current challenges is a belief that excellent patient care and strong procurement practices stand in each other’s path. The way through is to view procurement as being about maximising value coming into the organisation, not as a way of limiting costs going out or taking away control from the clinicians who know what their patients need. The experts argue that if you work from the patients’ perspective backwards to identify what is needed and facilitate this as effectively as possible then efficiencies are naturally generated.

It’s a patient-orientated philosophy where the cost savings are delivered as a by-product of removing waste.

Could it really be that simplistic?

In principle, yes. But it’s putting it into practice that is the real trick. I’ve grouped their practical advice into four core areas and I’ll be publishing the details on some of these in articles over the coming days. In summary, the cornerstones are:

1. Change attitudes – It’s one thing to improve the Procurement function, but quite another to change behaviour and attitudes across the organisation towards the purpose of procurement to get the best out of it. In order to change attitudes, strong and early engagement is needed to better plan expenditure supported by equally strong executive sponsorship. Ensure that all staff are able to contribute to and feel part of the improvement in procurement. Shared ownership will create many more opportunities for sustainable savings. 
2. Put in place the right systems and data – Spend data must be centralised and managed so that a total picture becomes transparent.  If you can’t measure improvement, you can’t reinforce, embed and repeat it – and you certainly can’t share it.
3. Over communicate – The success of changes to central functions depends on communication. Over-communicating means making things exceptionally clear. Not bombarding staff but going out of the way to find the best channels and times to communicate and interface with staff about the benefits. It’s about providing clarity around how changes will enable staff to better fulfill their roles, departmental objectives and, therefore, the patient experience.
4. Invest in the right procurement talent – The old adage of spend to save is apt. Developing your people to understand the financial effects of the contracts they place and bringing in vital additional expertise will be paramount to re-energising the Procurement team and delivering sustainable change.

If you are looking for a health check of your Procurement approach, we have the experts to help. 

For further information visit www.practicus.com or call 0117 922 1777