Our Voice of the Customer team was formed in 2022 within our Customer Engagement directorate. We have two core aims – driving customer insight into the organisation, and improving the overall experience that customers have with us.
We ensure that customers’ experiences, expectations, preferences, and feedback are captured and heard – ensuring we align closely with the NHS and our wider system partners. We facilitate several panels and working groups to provide a wide range of customers with the opportunity to have focussed, honest and direct conversations with us.
Working Groups
Category Strategy Customer Advisory Panels
Our Voice of the Customer team is working to improve customer engagement in category strategy.
We are looking for customers to support and review the category management strategies developed by our category management teams – and provide vital insight into how we build frameworks around customer and patient needs.
The aim of this programme is to ensure the customer voice is embedded into the implementation and delivery of category strategies.
See our Useful Links section for more information and a short registration form to complete if you are interested in getting involved in our next sessions.
Clinical Customer Advisory Forum (Monthly)
This group presents the best opportunity for us to work together to develop a clinical strategy aligned to the needs of our NHS partners. Our aim is to bring together a group of experienced, forward-thinking colleagues with a diverse range of skills and backgrounds to help drive improvement.
CPSN Clinical Alternative Products Support Call (Weekly)
The Clinical Procurement Specialist Network (CPSN) Clinical Alternative Products Support call is a clinical discussion with the CPSN, to identify alternatives and provide early informs of potential issues. It’s supported by a bulletin detailing the outcomes following each meeting.
See our Useful Links section for more information on the Clinical Alternative Products Support call.
Customer Webinar
We host a quarterly webinar for customers – with an agenda that provides strategic updates aligned to our annual business plan and organisational priorities.
See our Useful Links section to find out more.
ICS Working Group (Monthly)
The purpose of this group is to work collaboratively to develop and enhance our Integrated Care System (ICS) value and offering, define key levels of engagement within an ICS, and define ways of working.
The aim is to bring together a group of forward-thinking colleagues and partners with differing skills and backgrounds to help drive improvement, and review areas as set out in the four ‘pillars’ that have been aligned to NHS England’s Central Commercial Function (CCF) model.
Medical and Surgical Consumables Panel
The Medical and Surgical Consumables Customer Panel has been established to strengthen engagement, collaborative working, and customer-to-business dialogue to support in decision making. The panel will provide a key avenue to keep customers informed of our activities and developments within the area of Medical and Surgical Consumables, and allow for customers to input into frameworks, early informs, projects, pre contract launch engagement, and provide feedback.
Non-Acute Working Group (Monthly)
This group allows us to ensure we are capturing the customer voice in shaping future supply chain services and developments for the non-acute sector. Current challenges are discussed and will define priority projects that are aligned with the NHS agenda, which will be used to scope and set pilot projects over the next year. Our aim is to focus on ways we can support NHS customers and patients who have a care pathway that is predominantly outside of acute settings.
Resilience and Service Support Call (Monthly)
A forum in which to discuss, track, and resolve operational resilience concerns as a collaborative group. This enables issues to be escalated and prioritised to support customer groups and improve the overall experience of working with us, on the key issues relating to the resilience of the supply chain and logistics.
See our Useful Links section for more information on the Resilience and Service Support Call.
Resilience Steering Group (Monthly)
The Resilience Steering Group (RSG) was set up in November 2021, originally as a Working Group in response to discussions at Regional and National Customer Boards around demand management and supply issues.
The group has further developed into a Resilience Steering Group that occurs monthly, and is an opportunity for an open and honest discussion with you, our customers.
Calendar of Events – July 2024 – Updated Monthly
Each month we provide a calendar that includes all of our panels and working groups so that you can see the key dates for the meetings that you want to attend.
If you would like to attend any of our panels or working groups, please complete the Register Interest Form, or alternatively contact us for more information.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| 1 July CPSN Clinical Alternatives Support Call 2pm – 3pm | 2 July | 3 July Category Strategy – Customer Panel General Woundcare 1.30pm – 2pm | 4 July Category Strategy – Customer Panel Occluders 9am – 10am Weekly Hand Hygiene Customer update 10am-10.30am Clinical Advisory Forum 1.30pm – 3pm | 5 July Category Strategy – Customer Panel Central Venous Catheters and Associated Products 2pm – 2.45pm |
| 8 July | 9 July | 10 July Category Strategy – Customer Panel Intravenous Cannula and Associated Products Products 2pm – 2.45pm | 11 July Weekly Hand Hygiene Customer update 10am – 10.30am | 12 July |
| 15 July CPSN Clinical Alternatives Support Call 2pm – 3pm Non Acute Sub Working Group – Continence 1pm – 2pm Non Acute Sub Working Group – Woundcare 3pm – 4pm | 16 July | 17 July | 18 July Weekly Hand Hygiene Customer update 10am – 10.30am Non Acute Working Group 2pm – 3pm | 19 July |
| 22 July CPSN Clinical Alternatives Support Call 2pm – 3pm | 23 July | 24 July | 25 July Customer Webinar 12pm – 1pm, and Resilience Steering Group 2pm – 3pm | 26 July |
| 29 July CPSN Clinical Alternatives Support Call 2pm – 3pm | 30 July | 31 July Resilience and Service Support Call 2pm – 3pm |