How has the pandemic altered NHS procurement? (HSJ)

The past two years have highlighted the importance of effective procurement to the NHS, changing perceptions of the function – and, in some instances, its practice.

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Lifecycle Comment: Undoubtedly the pandemic identified shortcomings in the age-old focus of cost reduction and has led to some positive changes in terms of collaboration, supported by the move to ICS structures. However, procurement still has a journey ahead to embed truly sustainable practices across its supply chain. This includes addressing diversity and inclusion, carbon emissions, waste management, human rights etc.

Being ‘sustainable’ in 2022 and beyond needs to address environmental and financial considerations of the value chain, ensuring the security of supply and supplier resilience as a result. Increasingly these measures are being built into sourcing strategies, but the key will be to monitor and deliver on these promises in the future.

Lifecycle is committed to sustainable procurement, and a have a range of services to assess current strengths/weaknesses and build a plan to embed adoption. We look at sustainability throughout the supply chain from Levels 1 – 3 and are active in assisting clients in delivering on their net-zero and wider sustainability ambitions. Please get in touch to find out more.

Responses to the latest monthly NHS hospital performance data (The King’s Fund & the NHS Confederation)

Commenting on the latest monthly NHS hospital performance data, Danielle Jefferies, Analyst at The King’s Fund said: ‘In recent months the government has focused on tackling the backlogs for planned hospital care and diagnostic tests that have been exacerbated by Covid-19. But today’s performance data show pressures now reaching unacceptable levels in all parts of the health and care system.’ Read more.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘The NHS is putting the additional investment from the levy to good use with clear progress being made in tackling the elective care backlog. Despite all parts of the system running hot, including record 999 calls and ambulance call-outs, patients waiting over one year for treatment fell by 12,000 in February and there are over 500 fewer people waiting over two years for a planned procedure.’ Read more.

The biggest problem holding back NHS performance is a lack of investment in capital, innovation and management not staff or beds (Policyskeptic)

In debates about what the NHS should do to improve its performance it is common to see benchmarks of staffing or bed numbers versus comparable health systems. The argument is that the system needs more doctors/nurses/beds. This is not the biggest problem. The NHS has suffered far more from a failure to invest in capital, innovation or management. 

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UK graduate jobs outnumbered graduates by 1m in 2020, study shows (The Guardian)

The UK has nearly a million graduate-level jobs without qualified staff filling them, according to a report for universities that predicts the labour market’s appetite for graduates will remain strong in the near future.

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UK government preps tech suppliers for £8bn mega framework (The Register)

The British government is looking to speak with suppliers in preparation for a multi-year procurement that could be worth up to £8 billion in technology products and services. Crown Commercial Services, the purchasing arm of the Cabinet Office which reaches across central government departments, has published a tender notice looking for tech vendors’ feedback on a new framework agreement.

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Four in ten care homes refusing new admissions amidst workforce crisis (Care Home Professional)

More than four in ten (43%) care homes are refusing new admissions due to the workforce crisis, according to a report. The Times reported 13,000 patients a day are taking up NHS beds in England because they cannot be discharged to care homes..

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Procurement of PPE, diagnostics and medical devices to be in-housed by national agency (Patient Safety Learning The Hub via HSJ)

The national supply chain agency will bring management of significant areas of NHS spend in-house on a permanent basis in a major overhaul of its operating model… Under the current structure, 11 category towers each cover a different spend area with a service provider to manage the available products and services. But, in an exclusive interview, NHSSC chief Andrew New said the 11 categories would be reduced to eight.

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We Don’t Need No Education? The Case for Expanding Higher Education (The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change)

This report makes a powerful case for further expanding higher education. One of its most striking findings is just how much we have come to rely on the expansion of education to prop up economic growth – and that the UK’s already delicate figures in recent years would have been more fragile still without it.

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Eight out of ten care providers have recruitment issues, NCA finds (Care Home Professional)

Over eight out of ten care providers have recruitment issues, a National Care Association (NCA) members’ survey has found. The annual survey, which was taken in mid-March, found 83% of respondents had recruitment issues, with two-thirds (68%) saying they were receiving sufficient enquiries about roles.

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