E-procurement demonstrator sites confirmed

Six NHS trusts have been chosen to be demonstrator sites for a new electronic procurement system and will receive £12 million funding from the Department of Health (DoH).

The sites were announced by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and will trial the use of new GS1 and Pan European Public Procurement On-Line (PEPPOL) standards, which include new standards for coding supplies into the NHS.

The new standards come as part of the government’s e-procurement strategy and the DoH believes that new electronic procurement systems have the capability to deliver up to £800 million in efficiency savings.

Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust have been selected as demonstrator sites and will need to demonstrate the benefits, as well as challenges, they encounter from using the standards, including efficiency savings, reduction in errors and improvements to patent outcomes.

Tony Whitfield, director of finance at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are thrilled at the opportunities provided by being selected as a GS1 demonstrator site of excellence by the Department of Health. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is fully committed to the implementation of GS1 and PEPPOL standards in order to further drive patient safety and increase efficiency. Being selected offers us the chance to harness the potential of GS1 standards for patients and the taxpayer and support the Trust in developing best practice for procurement. We look forward to the next stage and to demonstrate the benefits that these standards bring to the healthcare industry.”

Ann James, chief executive of Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as one of only six sites of excellence to be at the forefront of rolling out these new, national standards. Our selection comes as a result of a lot of hard work and commitment to this partnership from our staff. We look forward to the challenges and improvements this will bring.”