NHS procurement teams face a wide range of challenges, which have been amplified in recent years due to the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising levels of inflation, and ongoing workforce pressures.<\/p>\n
From identifying cost-saving opportunities to reducing the NHS\u2019 environmental impact through better purchasing decisions, the only way to can enhance the NHS\u2019 procurement processes is by using data effectively and implementing innovative technology solutions to support us.<\/p>\n
Having worked in NHS procurement for over 25 years, one of the biggest challenges I\u2019ve repeatedly faced is the lack of access to consistent and transparent data within complicated procurement systems. Data visibility hinders our ability to identify cost-saving opportunities \u2013 an essential part of procurement in all walks of life. The challenge is even greater when data is spread across multiple systems and teams, which many procurement teams in England will be aware of, given the ongoing transition to integrated care.<\/p>\n
The move to integrated care has left some regional procurement leads with less visibility and control over procurement spend data and analytics, with more data to manage across multiple sites within a region. \u200bI\u200bn Wales, the NHS has been operating in an integrated way for a while through the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, which ensures that the right products, provisions and services are sourced and supplied efficiently and at the right price across the country.<\/p>\n
This has only been made possible through the emergence of advanced analytics and solutions which have improved the quality and visibility of data considerably.<\/p>\n
To help our procurement team deal with the vast amounts of data being collected and managed across each care setting in Wales, we implemented AdviseInc\u2019s Procurement Dashboard, now known as the AdviseInc Platform. The platform provides us with complete oversight of catalogues and procurement data across the country, while also enabling us to add more detailed classification to spend, including all the major clinical categories.<\/p>\n
By working with AdviseInc, who act as an extension of our team, we now have the ability to cleanse our data, compare this data with areas outside of Wales, and have visibility of greater savings and richer information as a result.<\/p>\n
AdviseInc also provides us with valuable analytical support, meaning that instead of analysing rafts of procurement data and manually searching for cost-saving opportunities, our team has more time to focus on other key areas of procurement.<\/p>\n
For example, we can now dedicate more time to consider how our procurement decisions align with objectives set out in the Future Generations Act<\/a>. This was introduced in 2015 to make sure public bodies in Wales think about the long-term impact of their decisions and work collaboratively to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.<\/p>\n For NHS procurement teams, environmental considerations should be made with every purchasing decision. Along with buying fewer overseas products and reducing the number of single-use plastics across the NHS, procurement teams need to spend more time innovating and contributing towards green initiatives, which is where companies like AdviseInc can make a tremendous impact. The solution is helping us meet national and local targets and gives us the ability to clearly target actions and deliver against carbon reduction targets.<\/p>\n
\nUsing data analytics to improve safety and accuracy<\/h3>\n