Health procurement: key part of new industrial strategy

Posted on 01 Mar, 2017

On 23 January the government launched a new Industrial Strategy, designed to boost the post-Brexit UK economy. There are some relevant proposals for TSA members around health procurement and ways the government plans to increase the uptake of innovative diagnostic tools, treatments and medical technologies by the NHS.

One area of focus is the central NHS Supply Chain contract and how to ensure that more of the £6 billion currently spent on procurement of goods in the NHS goes through this contract. Currently that figure stands at 40% and the government is looking to increase this proportion by developing a new Supply Chain contract in 2018. It is felt that this will allow the NHS to:

• Be better aware of the market and improving horizon scanning for innovative products that the NHS should adopt rapidly.
• Use its purchasing power to bulk buy innovative products, which can improve patient care and deliver savings. This will allow patients to get the benefits of innovation more quickly, as well as providing a route to market for early stage companies.

This Industrial Strategy is a green paper and as such the government are asking for responses to proposals by Monday 17 April. TSA will be submitting a response that demonstrates the importance of TEC in solving the UK’s health and care challenges and the value of the TEC sector to the UK economy. We’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on these proposals so we can accurately represent the views of our membership. Please email marketing@tsa-voice.org.uk with your feedback on these proposals around health procurement.

More information on the proposals on pp75-77 of the Industrial Strategy.