Ten NHS trusts in the South West of England and surrounding area, have saved in excess of £850,000 by sharing ideas for procurement efficiencies.
Procurement and clinical specialists meet every quarter for a “Savings Swap Shop”, where they each have 10-minute slots to share information about suppliers and products. As well as this, they can also suggest different ways to save money and discuss any challenges.
The programme was originally introduced 14 months ago by Andrew Varley, clinical procurement specialist at Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Nick Hodgson, supplier development advisor at Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust. The programme was introduced after both realised procurement professionals in different trusts were not sharing information.
Andrew Varley said: “In our pursuit of savings and efficiency ideas at Taunton, and having attended Clinical Procurement Specialist Network meetings where we discuss savings, I realised that we did not utilise the huge network we have available to us,”
Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust made savings of £20,000 by introducing a new type of IV dressing, an idea that came from another attendee, who had originally heard the idea from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust also saved more than £100,000 by changing suppliers for medical devices used in abdominal surgery.
“Even though we may have had those ideas, when they come to you via another trust it gives you the confidence to press ahead with the change and helps persuade colleagues that the proposed changes are acceptable… I’ve not yet had a failure from implementing an idea from the Swap Shop but I’m sure if there was an issue it would be fed back to the next meeting. That’s its function.” Varley said.
The meetings, held at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, are open to any trust that wishes to attend. Representatives from Bristol, Worcester and the South Western Ambulance Service have recently taken part.
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