Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has made a major breakthrough by ordering the first medical supplies for use in the NHS using the PEPPOL (Pan European Public Procurement On-Line) messaging standard.
A leading ‘Scan4Safety’ Trust – one of six NHS acute Trusts that is a demonstration of technology site for the implementation of the NHS eProcurement Strategy – it transmitted its first purchase order and invoice with healthcare supplier, B. Braun Medical, using Healthlogistics and Global Healthcare Exchange UK (GHX) as certified PEPPOL Access Points.
The purchase order was for a ‘Plasmacup Fixation Screw’ from B. Braun, which is used in hip replacement operations carried out at Derby Teaching Hospitals. This transaction marks an important step in the delivery of the Government’s NHS eProcurement Strategy, which will help deliver efficiencies and cost savings, reduce errors and help enable improved patient outcomes.
Believed to be the first business document set transmitted live over the PEPPOL network in the NHS, the purchase order and returning invoice were transmitted using the eCommerce technology expertise of both Healthlogistics and GHX as certified PEPPOL Access Point providers.
Group chief executive and chairman at B. Braun UK, Hans Hux, said: “B. Braun Medical is fully engaged with the Department of Health to help ensure NHS hospital Trusts implement PEPPOL in a timely and efficient manner. Working with Derby Teaching Hospitals, Healthlogistics and GHX, has created stronger links between all parties and resulted in a successful outcome for all.
“This will provide a robust platform for further development in the use of technology to create efficiencies within the heath sector. We are looking forward to engaging further with the Scan4Safety group on this exciting journey.”
Gary Adams, commercial director at Healthlogistics, commented: “Data accuracy is the challenge most Trusts are struggling with when sending and receiving purchase orders and invoices electronically. Healthlogistics is committed in supporting the NHS in achieving significant savings by removing waste and inefficiency in the supply chain through the provision and management of accurate procurement data. Through PEPPOL, NHS Trusts and their suppliers can be assured that purchase orders and subsequent supplier invoices are delivered in the correct format and that the product line detail held in the order and corresponding invoice is accurate.”
James Thirkill, country manager, UK&I, GHX, said: “These are challenging but exciting times for the healthcare supply chain and we must all work together to extend the benefits of eCommerce; lower costs and improve the ability to deliver better patient care. The eProcurement Strategy sets out a vision for the future for eCommerce in the NHS that will help unlock these benefits and drive the healthcare supply chain in the UK to a new level of maturity.”
James Mayne, GS1, PEPPOL and eProcurement manager at Derby Teaching Hospitals, said: “We see this mechanism delivering great efficiencies throughout our Trust supply chain process, which all of our suppliers can benefit from, and this will help us achieve our Scan4Safety goal of exchanging 60% of purchases orders and invoices via PEPPOL.”
