PROCUREMENT
Efficient and effective
NHE speaks to Lee Robinson, who has helped found a new group
representing health
technology providers under the auspices of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, to find out more about the aims of the new organisation.
A
new group has been launched to represent the interests of medical
device and pharmaceutical manufacturers who supply the NHS, to ensure such businesses are as efficient as they can possibly be.
The group has been launched by health procurement consultant Lee Robinson under the auspices of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), and is called the Health Technology Special Interest Group.
The inaugural meeting of the group and its official launch took place in early March, while via LinkedIn it has already attracted a global membership, with participants from Australia, the UAE and South Africa, and with representatives from companies including Johnson & Johnson, Merck Serono and Smith & Nephew.
The networking group will allow all its members to share best practice, as Robinson, of Lime Associates, told NHE: “It’s taken a year and a half to get this point, driven by the events in the health service, and the pressure on reducing costs. We’re specifically focused on people in manufacturing: primarily the second tier medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers who supply into the NHS, and they’re the people directly affected by the pressures within the NHS, in terms of materials and services.
“We’re trying to help them become more efficient in everything they do, so that they can provide a better service to the NHS and their end customers, including those overseas.”
The group has already succeeded in attracting a wide range of both SMEs and global firms keen to take part.
He said that all medical suppliers share common purchasing and supply chain challenges unique to the health sector, and said the group and the events it hosts will create knowledge bases, share innovation, disseminate relevant information and generally help the members help each other.
The group now includes company representatives from: Botswana Harvard Aids Institute
Systagenix
Biomet UK Genzyme
Boehringer Ingelheim Johnson & Johnson Merck Serono
GlaxoSmithKline EdenBioDesign
Brecon Pharmaceuticals AstraZeneca
Dermal Laboratories
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Smith & Nephew
The first meeting, called ‘Getting what purchasing wants in a regulated environment’, was hosted at Lime Associates’ Sheffield office, with speakers including Mike Bullivant and Ed Buttrell, and they hope it will be the first of many.
Robinson told us: “Manufacturers have driven out costs as much as possible using some really good supply chain practices, which puts them in the best standing possible when Government organisations like the NHS are going through the tender process.
“I’m trying to get people to share experiences and help each other in areas where they don’t directly compete, but they can still offer help advice and support to ensure they’re as efficient as possible.”
He said he was hoping the group could hold roundtable events focusing on particular challenges, and added: “We’re also hoping to put a forum together where we can share cross-border experiences in the medical and pharma industries as well.”
The group has been led and developed over the past year to 18 months by a steering group, but Robinson hopes the official launch will lead to a more formal structure and roles.
Lee Robinson FOR MORE INFORMATION
Upcoming events will be advertised via
www.cips.org/en-GB
national health executive Mar/Apr 12 | 63
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