Rotherham NHS Foundation gets savings with better orthopedic procurement

 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said its clinical and non-clinical staff have come together to deliver 23% saving, equivalent to over  £800,000 per annum by conducting large-scale review of how the products are sourced, brought and managed within the orthopedic department.

The procurement team at TRFT that works closely with the clinical director and the orthopaedic department has made savings by building strategic relationships with the suppliers to leverage spend, benchmarking prices against national frameworks and improving the stock management.

The work is a part of the wider programme of procurement cost reduction at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust that procurement consultancy Inverto has supported the Trust’s Procurement team to deliver.

Steph Holmes, Head of Procurement at the TRFT says, “With budgets being reduced and a greater demand on patient services, NHS Trusts are being asked to deliver services which meet increasing performance targets but for less money.” Mr. Holmes also said, “The success with the orthopaedic procurement is one example where we have been able to implement best practice in procurement and I am confident that the savings we have made are sustainable.” 

Chief Operations Officer at TRFT, Matthew Lowry said, “The Trust needs to make best use of its resources in this difficult period for the health sector as a whole.” Mr. Lowry also said, “By adopting a total cost approach to our expenditure in the orthopaedic area the team has delivered an excellent saving which can be reinvested. This example of joint working is powerful model the Trust will use again to ensure it secures value for money in all areas of spend.”

 Inverto’s UK Managing Director Richard McIntosh said, “It was clear that in discussions with key stakeholders that there was a limited understanding of the impact the way products were being selected and sourced was having on cost per procedure.” Mr. Richard also said, “Working in partnership with the clinical lead and surgical teams will mean sustainable benefits in the long-term.”

The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust offers many NHS services in Rotherham. It has wide range of services based throughout Rotherham’s communities. Inverto is an international management consultancy specializing in procurement. It delivers real, sustainable savings that boosts clients’ profits.