Geopolitical Disruption in the Middle East

NHS Supply Chain continues to take proactive steps to protect product availability and maintain continuity of supply during the geopolitical disruption in the Middle East. As the situation remains dynamic, our focus is on safeguarding patient care and service delivery through early insight, targeted supplier engagement and strengthened risk controls.

Current situation

The situation in the Middle East has increased the risk of disruption for suppliers with facilities or dependencies (for example, a specific commodity) in the region. There also remains a cost risk directly because of core commodity pricing and as a knock-on to other components or materials.

Actions taken to date

A coordinated, proactive, intelligence-led response has been underway across our supply chain, resilience and category teams since the situation came to our attention.

Key actions include:

• Targeted supplier engagement
  Supply chain intelligence has enabled a focused review of suppliers with upstream facilities in the Middle East.
  Identified suppliers have been contacted directly, with assurances provided on continuity plans, logistics routes and any emerging constraints.
• Cyber risk assurance
  Risk analytics data has been used to identify suppliers with elevated cyber-risk profiles.
  These suppliers have been contacted to confirm the cyber protection measures they have in place and to provide reassurance that there is no onward threat to NHS systems or supply continuity.
• Horizon scanning and early warning
  Teams are providing continuous horizon scanning to identify early indicators of disruption, including transport route instability and cyber threat activity.
  Insights are being shared across operational teams to support rapid decision-making and prioritisation.
• Commodity forecasting and stock management
  Commodity level forecasting is being used to identify products of concern and anticipate potential shortages.
  Where appropriate, stockholding has been increased to build resilience and maintain continuity of supply.

We continue to work closely with NHS England and our partners to ensure a coordinated approach.

Our priority remains ensuring a continuous supply to the NHS and protecting patient care. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, work proactively with suppliers, and share further updates as new information becomes available.