Published: 20/01/2005, Volume II5, No. 5939 Page 9
Much greater emphasis must be put on engaging the local NHS and clinicians in the next wave of national independent sector procurement, private sector representatives have warned.
'It has to be about making practical sense of a nationally driven procurement exercise at local primary care trust and health community level and about learning to work together, ' Independent Healthcare Forum chair Tim Elsigood told HSJ.
'Each local health economy needs slightly different things and it is important to very clearly define the expectations of local stakeholders'.
Mr Elsigood said it was important that the next wave of procurement ensured 'ownership at local level' and provided clear details of quantities and patient case-mix.
Mr Elsigood, who is also chief executive of Capio Healthcare, which won the national spine chain contract last May, said the IHF had held a number of meetings with the Department of Health and its national implementation team urging them ensure that all the relevant local stakeholders were involved as early as possible.
Mark Smith, managing director of Mercury Health, which won the contract for the South East chain, agreed.
'Where our local relationships are good it is because the PCTs involved have been able to field strong clinical teams and we have established good clinical relationships'.
He said the independent sector had learned lessons from the first wave of procurement: 'One of the biggest things we are trying to get right for the next wave is better preparation of local health economies.' A spokesperson for the NHS Confederation's affiliate private provider members concurred: 'There is no point being given a contract if the local NHS is reluctant and unsupportive of it.'
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