Lack of innovation focus takes sheen from praised NHS procurement strategy
Critics of the UK's National Health Service (NHS) procurement strategy, which has been warmly received overall, contend that it neglects innovative technology, inhibiting the NHS's ability to most effectively meet the needs of patients and staff. Specifically, the ability to manage data sources efficiently is being lost through a lack of attention to technology, it is claimed.
The need for procurers to work more closely with frontline staff in order to view what innovations are most needed is also raised, as are questions over the limited view of supply chains contained within the document. An effective inventory management system, and the sharing of data, would enable the system to move forward and transform, says Nicola Hall, Managing Director of Ingenica Solutions.
Inventory management would allow those in charge to understand what items have been purchased, where the products are used, and on which patients. The strategy has also been criticised for focusing on price comparisons, rather than longer term criteria.
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