We assess what challenges the NHS is facing in 2022 and recommend how NHS procurement professionals can best support the health system.
This time the headlines are about feared shortages of antibiotics to treat the worrying Strep A outbreak in the UK. Just a few months ago, it was hormone replacement therapy that was in short supply.
In each case, pharmaceutical manufacturers blame the shortages on bottlenecks of raw materials caused by coronavirus lockdowns in east Asia – something that’s becoming a familiar story. Whether it’s the semiconductor chips that modern vehicles rely on, essential medicines, or the clinical consumables on which the NHS spends £6 billion on each year, it’s clear that supply chains are still feeling the strain after the pandemic.
Ligentia is proud to be a longstanding NHS partner, in fact, at the height of the pandemic we chartered planes and ships to help deliver millions of units of PPE.
We’re well aware, therefore, of what it’s like for those responsible for getting critical supplies to the frontline. We’re also in a pretty good position to assess what the challenges facing the NHS are, reflect on the structural changes that its procurement function has experienced, and recommend how these professionals can continue their vital work of keeping the health system running.
In our new report, “NHS supply chains in a disrupted world”, we’ve done exactly that, drawing on the support of NHS staff, procurement specialists and national experts to get a rounded view.
Download the report and you’ll be able to read our key findings on the supply chain challenges that they face, the views of the experts, and the three recommendations that we are making for how NHS procurement can drive the delivery of the NHS’s wider strategies and targets.
I hope it makes interesting reading. Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can tell you more about Ligentia’s expertise in healthcare – and many other sectors’ – supply chains.
