NHS Supply Chain highlights importance of ethical procurement

The launch of NHS Supply Chain’s new surgical instruments framework has outlined the body’s strong commitment to ethical procurement.

The news comes as figures show an estimated 80-90 per cent of surgical instruments are manufactured in Pakistan. NHS Supply Chain has confirmed it will continue to support suppliers to meet NHS Supply Chain NHS Supply Chain (LSAS) contract conditions as a central part of its Ethical Procurement Strategy. 

The NHS Supply Chain introduced the LSAS in collaboration with the Department of Health, to enhance the identification of issues, remediation and continuous improvement of labour standards management. This formed part of a pioneering approach to include ethical procurement considerations into the tender for surgical instruments and has provided a blueprint for other product areas. 
 
According to a press release from the body, the new surgical instruments framework sees NHS Supply Chain ‘go even further in its labour standards assurance and highlights its commitment to quality suppliers’.

All 29 awarded suppliers have been required to have level 2 LSAS to trade on the framework and will be supported to help them achieve the milestone to level 3. In addition to this commitment, the new invitation to tender required ISO13485, BS standards and involved product testing by an external organisation, the Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory (SMTL). 
 
Stephanie Gibney, Ethical and Sustainability Manager at NHS Supply Chain commented: “We are committed to transparency and embedding ethical procurement, and have been working closely with our suppliers through the Labour Standards Assurance System. Our new surgical instruments framework supports and extends our work in this area and helps suppliers to further develop policies and processes to meet requirements in line with International Labour Organisation conventions and the UK Modern Slavery Act.”
 
Paul Sroden, Vascular Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust added: “Poor quality surgical instruments increase the risk of surgical site infections and complications – equating to increased patient care and additional cost to the NHS. Having a National Supply Chain and Quality Assurance Programme for Surgical Instruments allows for an independent expert to be closely involved in selecting supply lines, ensuring they meet the quality standards required and helping improve patient safety.”