Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the effectiveness of National Health Service purchasing and promote procurement on a regional or national scale.

Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for their own procurement activity and are supported by collaborative procurement organisations working at regional and national level.

The Department launched a Procurement Efficiency Programme (Better Procurement Better Value Better Care) in August 2013, further details of which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-procurement-in-the-nhs

This programme focussed on the need to improve local capability, data and leadership in the longer term and the need to drive £1.5-£2 billion of efficiency savings in the immediate term. As part of this efficiency programme the Department is working with NHS trusts and collaborative procurement organisations to determine the most effective procurement approaches going forward.