Arden & GEM has been successfully shortlisted in two categories, with NHS England Highly Specialised Commissioning, at the Healthcare Supply Association (HCSA) Awards 2020.
The annual HCSA Awards recognise those individuals and teams who have demonstrated dedication, innovation and professionalism in delivering services in support of patient healthcare.
The first shortlisting, in the ‘Procurement Excellence Award’ category, is for a project to improve the quality of life for adults with chronic pancreatitis. For individuals experiencing severe pain due to chronic pancreatitis, complex surgery to remove the pancreas can be the only option to improve quality of life. However, this procedure also removes the cells that produce insulin which then need to be transplanted back into the patient to avoid severe diabetes. This highly specialist treatment requires providers with appropriate expertise.
NHS England partnered with NHS Arden & GEM’s procurement team to engage with the market and design an effective procurement strategy. Our public procurement project resulted in successfully appointing four centres who are now delivering the highest quality of care to patients.
The second shortlisting, in the ‘Cross Functional Collaboration Award’ category, recognises a project to transform the lives of babies with spina bifida through pioneering prenatal surgery.
When NHS England Highly Specialised Commissioning sought to establish a service to provide pioneering prenatal surgery for foetuses with open spina bifida, a collaborative procurement project with NHS Arden & GEM CSU was initiated. Based on trust, transparency, and engagement, the multidisciplinary project group successfully co-designed and delivered a service model and procurement strategy to appoint two specialist providers for this complex procedure, including an overseas provider. Six surgeries have already been undertaken, which will have a transformative impact on the lives of babies and their families. You can read more about this project here.
Winners will be announced at the HCSA Annual Conference Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 18 November. The full shortlist is available here.