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NHS Supply Chain recognised for its commitment to investing in training and developing its workforce

28 January 2025

NHS Supply Chain, a public sector national procurement organisation supplying NHS hospital trusts across the country, has been recognised as one of the top employers in the country for investing in the training and development of its workforce.


The organisation has been awarded gold accredited membership as part of The 5% Club’s prestigious 2024-25 Employer Audit Scheme. The accolade recognises NHS Supply Chain’s commitment to investing in the development of its workforce, with many of its people currently taking part in ‘earn & learn’ initiatives such as apprenticeships, graduate programmes and professional qualifications.

Through programmes that offer hands-on learning, NHS Supply Chain is creating pathways for professional growth, equipping its workforce with the skills and confidence they need to thrive.

Group image: A cohort of colleagues from NHS Supply Chain have been studying at Cranfield University. Pictured (left to right): director of strategy and business architecture Gavin Roberts, strategy and performance lead Byron Vincent, head of hospital care Hamish Makanji and head of customer voice Rowan Mulvey.

NHS Supply Chain is proud to support our colleagues to develop and grow in their careers. Our organisation’s reason for being is to support the NHS by sourcing and supplying a huge range of products that are used in hospitals every day. We can’t do this without the commitment of our workforce.

More than 100 colleagues are currently undertaking training alongside their jobs, excluding our graduate colleagues. This is testament to their dedication and our commitment to nurturing the growth and development of our workforce. We strongly believe investment in our people is the cornerstone of success. We look forward to expanding these opportunities even further as NHS Supply Chain continues to grow to meet the changing needs of the NHS.

Andrew New, chief executive

Gavin Roberts, director of strategy and business architecture at NHS Supply Chain, completed a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management at Cranfield University’s School of Management at the start of 2025, along with three colleagues. This was paid for by NHS Supply Chain through the Government-funded Apprenticeship Levy.

The chance to learn at such a great university, with supportive colleagues and a wide network of other businesses, has really helped me do more for the NHS and helped my career too.

While being daunting, having been out of the classroom for over 30 years, it’s been so useful. It has given me more confidence and experience to help NHS Supply Chain do even more to support the NHS deliver outstanding patient care.

I’m so grateful to have had the chance to learn, grow, develop and be encouraged and supported by everyone here at NHS Supply Chain.

Gavin Roberts, director of strategy and business architecture
Gavin Roberts, director of strategy and business architecture


NHS Supply Chain is currently recruiting for a number of vacant roles. See our Useful Links section for our careers page.


The organisation has also recently launched their 2025 graduate programme and is looking to recruit 24 graduates this year.

By being part of The 5% Club, NHS Supply Chain joins more than 1,100 forward-thinking employers who are dedicated to driving positive change. The 5% Club represents a powerful movement of companies working together to make workplace training more inclusive, diverse, and accessible. Collectively, members support 1.9 million employees, with more than 108,000 individuals participating in ‘earn and learn’ schemes. The Employer Audit rigorously assesses its efforts, future ambitions, and commitment to social mobility, diversity, and inclusion, further strengthening its mission.
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Notes to editors
Background about Gavin Roberts, NHS Supply Chain’s director of strategy and business architecture:

NHS Supply Chain’s director of strategy and business architecture Gavin Roberts works from the organisation’s head quarters Equinox House in Nottingham. Gavin and his team sets the direction of NHS Supply Chain, working with everyone across the organsation to turn strategy into actionable plans.

He completed his qualification at the start of January, paid for via the Government-funded Apprenticeship Levy, organised through NHS Supply Chain.

He passed the 18 month course, a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management at Cranfield University’s School of Management, with a distinction. He has already been putting his learning to good use in his workplace.

Along with a big boost in self confidence, Gavin’s learning has given him a new perspective and the chance to learn from peers in other sectors. He reports using his academic learning to back up his day to day work, looking at how NHS Supply Chain could source and supply medical equipment and devices to the NHS in a different way, adapting to meet the changing needs of the NHS.

Media enquiries and interview requests:

Corporate Communications and Media Team

media@supplychain.nhs.uk

Picture caption
Group image: A cohort of colleagues from NHS Supply Chain have been studying at Cranfield University. Pictured (left to right): director of strategy and business architecture Gavin Roberts, strategy and performance lead Byron Vincent, head of hospital care Hamish Makanji and head of customer voice Rowan Mulvey.

About NHS Supply Chain
Our role is to source, deliver and supply healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales. By working in collaboration with the healthcare system and suppliers, we help the NHS to put patients first.

We are a part of the NHS and deliver cost-efficient, resilient, clinically assured products that are responsive to frontline needs and focussed on the end-to-end patient pathway.

We provide over 35 million products a year to the NHS in a wide variety of categories, from food to knee implants and MRI scanners, and work with over 1100 suppliers. Through our scale and reach, we deliver value at a national level on behalf of the whole healthcare system to support the NHS to save lives and improve health.

Supply Chain Coordination Ltd (SCCL) is the company at the heart of NHS Supply Chain. It provides oversight and operational management for NHS Supply Chain and its service providers. SCCL is the legal entity through which NHS Supply Chain undertakes its procurement services and transacts with customers and suppliers. Whilst its shares are owned by NHS England, SCCL is a separate organisation.

About The 5% Club
The 5% Club works with UK employers and key influencers to inspire positive action for increased and accessible workplace learning, focused primarily on the number of apprentices, sponsored students and graduates employed. The goal of The 5% Club is to increase the employment and career prospects of today’s youth and equip the UK with the skilled workforce it needs to safeguard Britain’s economy. The 5% Club was launched in 2013.

Members sign The 5% Club charter. As a member of The 5% Club, employers state they are: Committed to helping the UK’s growth agenda and acknowledge the importance of developing people as both a business and social imperative; Playing their part in addressing youth unemployment and skills shortage; Pledging to work towards having a minimum 5% of their UK workforce enrolled on formalised apprentice, sponsored student and/or graduate development schemes within five years; Measuring and reporting on their progress annually against the above metric in their Corporate Social Responsibility section of the Annual Report and Accounts or equivalent document; Committed to encouraging other employers to participate in the campaign.

Membership of The 5% Club numbers more than 1,100 organisations from across a broad range of sectors as well as size of company, including large corporations as well as SMEs. The total number of employees represented is now more than 1.9 million, with circa 108,000 in “earn & learn” schemes.