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Collaborative Working To Improve Patient Outcomes: NHS Supply Chain Clinical Team Meets With Becton Dickinson 

21 January 2025

Key to the success of our new model is the implementation of formal supplier relationship management (SRM) to drive mutually beneficial relationships. Using a holistic approach to SRM, ensures cross-category collaboration with suppliers. Our structured framework enables us to transform supplier management ensuring growth, value, innovation and minimising risk.

Lindsey Ward, Head of Supplier Relationship Management, NHS Supply Chain

NHS Supply Chain medical surgical team and Clinical Executive Director Michelle Johnson, at the Value Based Procurement (VBP) partnership meeting at the Becton Dickinson Innovation Hub in Reading
Michelle Johnson, Clinical Executive Director, and NHS Supply Chain medical surgical team colleagues

Value Based Procurement partnership meeting

At the end of November 2024, our medical surgical team along with our Clinical Executive Director Michelle Johnson, were invited to attend a Value Based Procurement (VBP) partnership meeting at the Becton Dickinson (BD) Innovation Hub in Reading. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the wider benefits of collaborating with industry and the NHS. With a particular focus on the best approaches to hernia repair and correct preparation of pre-operative patients.

A key objective was to gain further insight into the capabilities of Becton Dickinson, as a major healthcare provider and innovator and identify the way forward for improving health inequalities and enhancing patient outcomes with value solutions. Through the exploration of collaboration opportunities, our expectation is that changes can be implemented at pace.

Strategic relationship and conversations

Our team were keen to understand and discuss the benefits of developing a strategic relationship that can pool resources to further benefit established VBP implementation. Clinically led conversations were, passionate, challenging, and transparent with topics including:

  • How resources are stretched in the NHS. A commercial organisation such as Becton Dickinson can pool assets that can enhance patient outcomes by using technology solutions. This will be in conjunction with partnership working and using clinical evidence to support changes.
  • Patient clinical pathways using bundles, can be a clear vehicle and vision, as an enabler to introduce value and to work smarter in the NHS, benefitting clinicians and patients.
  • Forward thinking trusts have reviewed technologies and innovations and implemented these bundles into patient pathways which have contributed to the reduction in Surgical Site Infections (SSI).
Medical surgical team at  a Value Based Procurement partnership meeting at the Becton Dickinson Innovation Hub in Reading
  • A powerful digital platform for healthcare providers to support patients throughout their care journey was demonstrated. It’s web based, can save money, capture infections early, and can be dealt with out of hospital, enabling virtual patient assessments.

Driving change

Moving forwards, this collaborative clinical partnership meeting provided clear confirmation that NHS Supply Chain is moving in the right direction.

Engaging and building strong relationships with clinical commercial organisations, such as Becton Dickinson, can open up real opportunities to drive change.

There is a shared, driven vision of improving surgical techniques and patient outcomes that deliver significant outcomes to the whole NHS.

Further sessions are planned on key topics that require a deep dive review, such as the evolution of surgical meshes.

See our Useful Links section to read more about NHS Supply Chain Value Based Procurement for healthcare and our clinical team.

It was a great opportunity to brainstorm the BD approach to this strategy with colleagues from NHS Supply Chain who play a pivotal role in understanding how industry can partner with healthcare providers to deliver sustainable health care. It was a pleasure to host you, and we look forward to continuing the discussions of how we can work together to collectively focus on value-based healthcare.

Donna Jefferies, Strategic Business Manager, Becton Dickinson