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Guidance aims to improve procurement across healthcare system

Guidance aimed at improving procurement across the healthcare system has been published by the Department of Health. ‘NHS procurement: raising…

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Guidance aimed at improving procurement across the healthcare system has been published by the Department of Health.

‘NHS procurement: raising our game’ sets out proposed actions for NHS trusts and the Department and focuses on taking immediate action to start tackling six key areas for improvements:

  • levers for change
  • transparency and data management
  • NHS standards of procurement
  • leadership, clinical engagement and reducing variation
  • collaboration and use of procurement partners
  • suppliers, innovation and growth

Read NHS Procurement: raising our game

This guidance is launched in advance of a procurement strategy planned for later in 2012 that will be developed following a wider call for evidence. It aims to start the journey to world class procurement by identifying those issues and actions that require immediate attention in order to lay the foundations for a fuller and further-reaching strategy later in the year.

In support, we are also publishing NHS Standards of Procurement, which will support trusts in understanding what good procurement looks like and in planning their improvements at a local level.

The standards can be used to identify what a trust’s areas of strengths and weakness are in their procurement and suggest ways in which they can start to monitor and measure improvements.

Read NHS Standards of Procurement

Published 28 May 2012