How digital procurement progress is saving the NHS millions
The NHS procurement platform has found millions of pounds of savings inside a year after bringing together different NHS-affiliated organisations.
The UK Government has announced the success of the project, after funding the use of Atmis in 69% of NHS organisations in the country. The target is for a 90% adoption rate by 2025.
Historic challenges in NHS procurement
Many NHS linked organisations previously used different platforms to buy goods and services without proper co-ordination. These weren’t possible to integrate, meaning it has historically been difficult for buying teams in the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS to share insights and data between organisations to make effective commercial decisions and find cost savings.
The Atamis system, which brings together each element of the commercial process in one location, has removed burdensome manual processes and saved millions of pounds in administration costs. This has also freed up capacity in NHS teams while helping health services run more efficiently.
"We are thrilled to witness the remarkable results achieved by the NHS. Through the implementation of Atamis, both procurement potential and substantial value optimisation has been achieved. We are excited to continue driving success together in today’s competitive market and to see what the future holds for this successful partnership," said Phil Musgrave, Atamis CEO.
NHS services in North West London alone were able to identify £34 million of savings by grouping 9 organisations on the same e-commerce system. This allowed them to identify a total of £34 million of potential savings in a year.
Procurement strategy finding savings for the taxpayer
“The NHS is one of the most efficient health services in the world, and finding further efficiencies to be reinvested into patient care remains a key priority,” said Jacqui Rock, NHS England Chief Commercial Officer. “Atamis is an incredibly important tool to support procurement teams to do this, and it’s encouraging to see the progress we have made in just a year to help deliver significant savings and value for the taxpayer.”
“As guardians of taxpayer money, having a unified view of the commercial data landscape is essential, so I expect the remaining NHS organisations who haven’t yet onboarded to do so as a matter of priority.”
The platform currently holds a pipeline of £24bn and active contracts with a value of £108bn.
“I’m pleased to see the success so far of this digital platform, which is already helping NHS organisations across England identify savings opportunities,” added Health Minister Lord Markham.
“We are committed to using the latest technology and new ways of working to increase efficiencies, save staff time, and deliver value for money.”
Read more from Jacqui Rock on the challenges of reforming commercial practice in the NHS.
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