Research tells us that users spend over 33,000 hours per month on our existing Online Catalogue but that their experience is not as good as it could be. That’s why we’ve set up a Digital Commerce Programme to procure and deliver and a new online catalogue and ordering system, that will be built on a new platform using technology which is scalable to meet the evolving needs of our customers.
We recognise that a modern digital commerce experience is essential to resolve customer pain points and to ensure our service aligns to their expectations. We are working collaboratively with customers, internal teams and our tech partners to co-design the new platform, ensuring the needs of all users are considered. We want to be easy to work with across all NHS care settings.
Jodi Chapman, Customer, Communication and Marketing Executive Director, NHS Supply Chain
Our five pilot trusts have been instrumental in this process from the start, inputting into research, testing new features and providing invaluable feedback.
Progress we’re making
- We released the first features of the new catalogue in February 2024 and have since been building on these in incremental phases, ensuring we get the foundations right.
- Our initial focus was on developing the search and capability of the new catalogue. With over 1.5 million searches performed each month on our current catalogue, we knew it was important that the new search functionality provided fast and accurate results.
- Since January 2025, we’ve expanded access to the new catalogue’s search and browse functionality to over 30 trusts, providing us with additional feedback. Many of our pilot trusts are also extending access to the new catalogue to more of their users so they too can benefit from the new improved search and browse functionality.
Watch our video to see the journey of the new online catalogue, developed in collaboration with our customers.
- Over recent months we’ve been building the operational requirements for placing and tracking orders with the support of our pilot trusts.
We’re now preparing for our activation phase, having built a foundational product that delivers the required core operational functionality. This will involve opening up access to the new catalogue to all customers through a phased approach starting from November 2025.
We’ve had great feedback from users already and this wouldn’t be the final version of the new catalogue. We’ll continue to develop it further.
Emma Lowry, Head of Customer Digital Experience, NHS Supply Chain
- Users will still be able to access the old catalogue after they have been activated on the new one.
Features and benefits of the new catalogue
Benefits you’ll find
- No need to remember a separate username and password, as you log into the catalogue using your NHS Network ID through single sign-on.
- Easier to find the products you need, thanks to an improved search function and clear navigation using eClass codes.
- Simpler to compare prices across different sites as these are now shown with and without VAT.
- Quicker and easier to review products in your basket as product images are now visible.
- Functionality which keeps items in the basket even if you get called away and the session times out.
- Browse and shop on the go as the catalogue is fully mobile responsive.
- Manage spend more effectively with new and improved purchase controls.
See our Useful Links section for further information about the Tailored Catalogue, which is an integral part of the improvements we’re making to purchasing controls.
I prefer the new catalogue, it’s definitely faster.
Madeline Redman, Surgical Category Procurement Lead, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The team will use the mobile version a lot to look up products.
Bilal Ahmad, Materials Management Team Leader, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
I love that you can see product images in the basket. On legacy it’s just a list. I can visually check what I’ve put in my basket.
Helen Sleeper, Materials Management Team Leader, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
We’ll continue to build on these benefits, as we release additional features and enhance the catalogue further to meet the evolving needs of our users. By opening access to everyone we can learn from user journeys and understand the performance as we build up traffic, enabling us to prioritise future developments.
Rolling out to all users
- We’re currently working on our activation plan and segmenting our customers into tranches. The first tranche will be given access to the new catalogue from November 2025. We envisage the full rollout to all users will take a year.
- Customers will be fully supported throughout the process, as part of a structured change management programme designed to build confidence and knowledge. Users will have access to training and ongoing support.
- See our Useful Links section to read more about the rollout of the new catalogue and how you can register an interest in your trust being part of the first tranches to gain access.
If you’d like to find out more about our Digital Commerce Programme and the new online catalogue, then please reach out to our Digital Commerce team.