NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and HealthTrust Europe (‘HTE’) have announced an agreement to collaborate on an ICS delivery partnership, following a detailed partner review process.
The partnership will see HTE engaged as the ICS’s commercial procurement partner, alongside NHS Supply Chain, leading on programme and strategic sourcing activities to support the collaborative delivery of high-quality, best value contracts to NHS providers across the region.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, the integrated care board (ICB) for the region is responsible for planning NHS services for a population of over 2.7 million people. Working alongside the wider integrated care partnership, the ICB has four key aims:
- Improve outcomes in population health and healthcare
- Tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access
- Enhance productivity and value for money
- Help the NHS support broader social and economic development
The partnership will focus on supporting the 16 NHS providers to drive a wide ranging and exciting programme of work to deliver strategic sourcing activity aligned to ICS targets and outcomes. The programme is expected to deliver a range of financial and non-financial benefits to the region, utilising HTE resources, technology, and capability in synergy with system resource, networks, and governance to accelerate time to value.
Gary Welch, Chief Executive Officer at HealthTrust Europe, said: “HealthTrust Europe’s partnership with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is a really exciting opportunity for us to bring our knowledge and expertise in procurement services to enhance service delivery and foster better outcomes for patients across the area."
Sue Colbeck, Chief Procurement Officer at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “I am delighted to announce our partnership with HTE, which will enhance our expertise and procurement function to deliver health and care solutions that will not only improve outcomes for patients across Cheshire and Merseyside, but also align with our strategic goals.”
The longer-term benefits of the partnership include the transfer of knowledge and skills to leverage specific expertise within the ICS, providing greater competition for every pound spent. This will support NHS providers with protection from supply failures and better controls on price increases, enabling greater efficiency and effectiveness.
