Local hospitals credited for getting the best deal for patients

The team responsible for buying supplies, services and equipment at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) has gained a prestigious, national accreditation.

The DBTH Procurement Team

Procurement departments within the NHS are responsible for managing purchasing activity, negotiating pricing for essential items and planning what the organisation will need in the future. The service is essential in order for a hospital to deliver high quality care as cost-effectively as possible.

Always looking to get the best deal for local patients, and developing further since an initial accreditation in 2017, the Procurement Team at DBTH has been recognised with a ‘level two in NHS Procurement and Commercial Standards’. The accreditation recognises that the department has built upon its previous level one award and is making strong progress in ensuring good purchasing practice is followed throughout the organisation.

Richard Somerset, Acting Head of Procurement at the Trust, said: “As a team we are enormously proud of this recent achievement. Gaining this accreditation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the department in getting the best deal for our hospitals, our staff and, most importantly, our patients.”

To be eligible for the award, the team were peer assessed by respective Heads of Procurement at both Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust and York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in February 2018. The key areas observed were:

  • Strategy and organisation
  • People and skills
  • Strategic procurement
  • Supply chain
  • Data systems and performance management
  • Policies and procedures.

The assessment consisted of a number of exercises, such as reviewing the Trust’s processes and procedures for procurement, a series of face-to-face interviews with Executive Directors as well as evidencing that the service is viewed as an integral part of the organisation.  Interviews were also conducted with various departments across DBTH to ensure correct ways of working are followed throughout day-to-day activity.

Jon Sargeant, Director of Finance at the Trust, said:  “I am delighted that we have been able to achieve this accreditation. Over the past number of years we have worked hard to ensure we make the most of the public money we receive.  I want to thank the team for their efforts and look forward to further awards and accreditations in the future.”​

DBTH is within the top twelve NHS providers in England to achieve the accreditation and continues to build on this success with the aim of remaining amongst the best for procurement performance.