Procurement Services Customer Newsletter

Transcription

1 Procurement Services Customer Newsletter Spring 2016 Issue 9 In this edition: Generating Business for our Meat and Dairy Sector New Resource Centre for Welsh Ambulance & North Wales Fire & Rescue Teams Enhancing Patient Safety in Enteral Feeding Supply Chain retains Excellence in Food Safety Accreditation New Accounts Payable Call System Set Up to Benefit Suppliers and Health Boards

2 Welcome Director of Procurement Services Mark Roscrow Welcome to the latest edition of the Procurement Services customer newsletter. As you will see it s been another very busy period with lots going on across the organisation. A few highlights for me include the shortlists we have made for the prestigious GO Awards which is one of the leading recognition events across the UK. We have also had the second meeting of the All Wales Medical Consumables Strategy Group (AWMCDSG) which is chaired by Paul Buss, Medical Director at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. This was the first opportunity the group have had to look at some specific products and in particular the clinical evidence which will help determine whether Wales should continue to use products or not. This is an exciting development and links very nicely into the work that has been ongoing around measuring clinical outcomes and a more collaborative and consistent approach to that across Wales. The payment of invoices remains one of our biggest challenges and again we have spent a lot of time working with colleagues across the NHS to improve the collective position. years. We have also had a lot of further discussion with Welsh Government around the establishment of a clinical hub which will focus on the recommendation of the innovation report which was published last year. This is another opportunity to link this to the work of Paul s group and we are expecting some announcements around this soon. As the year end comes closer we have the usual pressures to deal with including the ongoing drive to achieve the savings targets as well as additional Capital expenditure which has been a little better this year albeit still an additional demand on our staff. As for the savings targets it s clear that once again we will exceed the overall target which was agreed across Wales and I am grateful for all the staff who have played a key role in achieving this. It is pleasing to note that we have recognition of the fact that this is a joint problem and that as we collectively work together, the improvements can be seen. The improvements that have been made to the scanning system and the additional resources that Welsh Government have to support the Basware project are also playing a part in this. Customers remain at the centre of our work programme and I am pleased that the production of our IMTP has had a good deal of customer input and reflects the requirements you have as we look to the next 1-3 years. I know the Frontline Procurement Teams have worked hard around this engagement and it is evident in the final document that this has been very successful. To support this we will shortly have our annual Customer Excellence review which will include a focus on the Cwm Taf Frontline Procurement team this year, as well as the re-accreditation of our ISO27001 Information Security Standard and the Wales Quality visit. This has kept Sharon Webber very busy but is central to the service we offer. I am also encouraged by our customer service responses which are generally very positive but be assured we are not complacent on this and recognise that we can always improve.

3 Procurement Services Nominated as Finalists in National Government Procurement Awards Procurement Services have been nominated as fi n a l i s t s i n t h e S u s t a i n a b i l i t y Initiative of the Year Award category and the Innovation or Initiative of the Year Award category of the National Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement Awards 2016/17. Procurement were shortlisted for their work on introducing more sustainable food supply chains, protecting the environment and biodiversity as well as the local economy. The most notable declaration was the signing of the National Sustainable Cities Fish Pledge which involved including organic and higher animal welfare products within all Wales contracts. The level of competition for this year s awards was at its most competitive yet, with many high-profile organisations from across the UK submitting an entries Jessica Bearman, Lead Dietitian NWSSP Procurement Services: Being nominated in recognition of our commitment to addressing the environmental, socio-economic and health impacts of food procurement demonstrates the proactive approach NWSSP has taken to supporting the wellbeing of our future generations. Mark Roscrow, Director of NWSSP Procurement Services (pictured right) said: I am delighted that NWSSP has once again been shortlisted in two categories and this continues a long tradition of success with these prestigious awards. It is testimony to the collaborative approach that has been undertaken and indeed the recognition of the importance of feeding patients in the overall care they receive within NHS Wales. Wales is at the forefront of this work across the UK and it is fantastic to receive the recognition this work deserves. In conjunction with the NHS Wales National Collaborative Commissioning Unit, Procurement Services have also been nominated for the GO Procurement Innovation or Initiative of the Year Award Health Care. The project undertaken relates to the establishment of a Framework Agreement for the provision of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This process involved the creation of a cohesive, safe and structured system for one of the most vulnerable cohort of patients. The learning in developing this agreement was taken from the success in a similar cohort of Adult Mental Health patients. Nic Cowley, Head of Sourcing for Commissioning- NWSSP Procurement Services: The CAMHS agreement we have in place regularises a position on the treatment of the most vulnerable of patients within the system. This award nomination recognises the stability, control and measurement in place which has improved our service. The nomination is very well deserved.

4 NWSSP Working with the Community: Non - Medical Food Team Donate Goods to Local Foodbank The Non Medical Food Team based at Companies House, Cardiff have recently undergone evaluations for the forthcoming Ambient Groceries tender. This process involves companies bidding to tender for dry goods such as pasta and rice. During their presentations for the contract many samples are brought in to illustrate to the team what the companies can offer. These samples have built up over 2015 and consisted of general cupboard food including; tea bags, coffee, snacks, potato mixes, as well as a mountain of Angel Delight, and endless tins of beans! As part of NWSSP s ongoing sustainability effort, the team decided to donate all of the unused food samples to Cardiff Foodbank- totalling 229.9kg of food. Cardiff Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust Charity and partners with local communities to help stop UK hunger. Cardiff Food Bank have thanked Procurement Services for the support and issued them with a thank you certificate (opposite). Procurement hope to incorporate this type of sample disposal in future tenders, and help give back to the community. Did you know? The Trussell Trust s 400-strong network of foodbanks provides a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK. In 2014/15, they gave 1,084,604 three day emergency food supplies to people in crisis.

5 From Farm to Fork Generating Business for our Meat and Dairy Sector Wales has a thriving meat and dairy sector which significantly contributes to the Welsh economy. With this in mind NWSSP Procurement Services were keen to meet the spectrum of people and businesses involved in this supply chain; from farmers, manufacturers and distributors to highlight the future opportunity of supplying to all Welsh hospitals. Over 50 suppliers attend Procurement Services supplier engagement event In late January the division were able to meet over 50 suppliers at their mid-wales supplier engagement event which was held in Llandrinddod Wells, Mid Wales. Setting the scene For the first time Procurement took control in planning, organising and advertising the day. An open invitation was placed online on the NWSSP and Sell2Wales websites linked to the Prior Information Notices for the forthcoming Meat and Dairy contracts, as well as being circulated via to a range of networks (food directories, sustainability mailshots, business listserves etc). The advertisement also featured on social media platforms including Twitter and LinkedIn. A pre-attendance questionnaire was also designed to capture information on business type and interest prior to the day. This informed the content of presentation and interactive workshops which were a new and innovative feature of this event. The agenda After covering an overview of Procurement Services, Health Boards in Wales and NHS catering, policy drivers including the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. Procurement then presented details on the forthcoming contracts (products, volumes, specification), an introduction into the tender process and how to tender as well as available support from partner organisations. The workshops ran in parallel, in three consecutive time slots, attended by approximately eight suppliers each time to drill down further within the following areas:- Socio-economic, environmental and health aspects of the sector lead facilitator Jessica Bearman supported by Matthew Harrhy Logistics of tender and supply lead facilitator Romano Provini with support by Caroline Gwilym and Ellie Pinnell. The workshops allowed further explanation of the requirements of the contract and the available support for tendering as well as generating invaluable discussion on the structure of the meat and dairy sector in Wales and the quality assurance within the supply chain. This provided extensive food for thought to inform our tender scoring, lotting strategy and contract specification. The outcome Feedback from the event has been extremely positive, both from within the team, from suppliers and our partners via social media: A NWSSP Category Officer said: The workshop concept at the engagement event for me was a new experience, which was again well attended by a mix of producers, wholesalers and distributors. This part of the event was the most informative in terms of exploring and understanding some of the issues/concerns that potential bidders have about the tender process, and also around barriers for them around market conditions.

6 How Do Others Work? Paul Finds Out More in North Wales Paul Davies, Customer Service Assistant at Denbigh Regional Stores in North Wales recently visited the Betsi Cadwaladr University Heath Board Supply Chain Team at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in order to find out more on how the end to end Supply Chain works. Paul Davies, visits the Betsi Cadwaladr University Heath Board Supply Chain Team at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd As part of this Paul wrote a blog to detail his experiences: I recently volunteered for an Away Day in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd to see what happens on the other side of the process once we have picked and packed the Health Boards stock requisitions for delivery to our service users. I arrived at Stores at 8am where I was introduced to Anthony Harper (R&D/ Materials Management Supervisor) and the rest of the Receipts & Distribution / Materials Management Team. It was very good to finally put faces to names of the staff that I speak to on a regular basis as part of my Customer Service role. I then proceeded to Ward 5 with two of the Supply Chain Operatives, Ashley Tomlinson and Luke Cosgrove. Once there they showed me how they order goods from Denbigh using the ADC (Automatic Data Capture) handsets. I was impressed at how everything was stacked neatly and in order which facilitated the easy location of items for counting and item barcode scanning as shown in the picture of me counting stock. We then moved to the next ward on the schedule, Ward 7, again using the same counting and barcode scanning process. Whilst on the wards I took the opportunity to introduce myself to the Ward Housekeepers. It was pleasing to note that the Housekeepers had nothing but praise for the service Denbigh provide and it was also nice to receive the positive feedback on a personal level. The Housekeepers were very complimentary of Ashley and Luke in relation to the stock reorganisation work they have recently completed and also recognised the hard work of the Supply Chain Team based at Glan Clwyd. After lunch we went back to the Store where we uploaded the mornings ADC orders into Oracle. The afternoon was spent replenishing the stock on the wards which had been ordered 48 hours earlier. What did I learn from the experience? I found it very interesting to see how the complete process works from the raising of an ADC Requisition through to how the stock is put away on a ward. Also it was good to get an insight of the issues that the Local Health Boards Supply Chain Teams face on a daily basis and hopefully now I have improved my understanding of the wider service I am better placed to provide assistance when dealing with Customer Service phone calls. One of the highlights of the day for me was putting faces to the names of our service users that I have spoken to on the telephone for many years. I would recommend the opportunity as it is good to see how the work we do at Denbigh supports the Health Board.

7 Enhancing Patient Safety in Enteral Feeding A new international design standard for medical device tubing connectors is to be released this year as the second part of a phased initiative. The introduction of this Standard will mark a new milestone in the global effort to improve patient safety with enteral feeding systems. How will this affect dieticians,nutrition nurses, gastroenterologists and gastroenterology nurses? In practise the new design standard will impact all feeding tubes - naso-gastric, naso-jejunal, percutaneous, endoscopic gastrostomy tubes, G Tubes, buttons, jejunostomy tubes, enteral syringes, pump giving sets and enteral gravity sets. Phase 1 - From September 2015 Enteral giving sets and enteral gravity sets were supplied with an ENFit transition connector that facilitates compatibility between the existing feeding tube port and the new ENfit system. Phase 2 - From June 2016, New design enteral syringes and feeding tubes will be introduced. Once these are in place, all transition connectors will be removed from the market. It is envisaged that the new ENFit connector will be rolled out across all Health Boards over an estimated 7 month period. The transition sets will be removed from use only after this period, to eliminate waste, and ensure connectivity with the old design. This phased approach has been agreed by the Enteral Plastics Safety Group (EPSG); a group made up of all of the main companies and NHS Stakeholders involved with the production, sale and use of enteral tube feeding devices. NHS Wales Procurement Services is working with its suppliers and Health Board representatives to ensure the transition is managed in a seamless way, with the minimum amount of disruption. What Happens Next? Procurement Services working in partnership with the EPSG and Health Board Steering Groups will ensure you receive a series of communications over the forthcoming months to adequately prepare you for this change. If you would like to know more about the new connector please contact: joanna.protheroe@wales.nhs.uk The introduction of this Standard will mark a new milestone in the global effort to improve patient safety with enteral feeding systems

8 New Resource Centre for Welsh Ambulance & North Wales Fire & Rescue Teams The Welsh Ambulance Service and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service have jointly invested more than 15million in a purpose-built facility, in North Wales which includes an eight-bay fire station, a six-bay ambulance station and top of the range training facilities. Newly-recruited fleet assistants will clean vehicles after use, enabling clinicians to spend more time face-to-face with patients delivering better care for the area. Facilities like the rest room, dining room,communal kitchen, main office, locker room, meeting and training rooms will be shared by both services. The North Wales Procurement team were involved from an early stage and throughout the project to completion spanning an 8 month period to provide governance and support for the project. Procurement had initial involvement in providing guidance on purchasing procedures and supplier base information for various goods and services. The project covered a broad spectrum of requirements and involved dialogue with current and new suppliers to ensure the project was moving along to agreed timeframes and within budget. The Procurement team actively engaged in regular project meetings ensuring all requirements were being met and procedures followed. Support was provided across the following areas: Furniture Electrical goods Hygiene products Video conference equipment Buildings insurance Fleet equipment for workshop IT Equipment. The end result was a joint facility for two of the Emergency Services. Sonia Thompson, the Welsh Ambulance Service s Head of Operations in North Wales, said: This project has been years in the pipeline, so we re thrilled that the building is now complete. Gary Brandrick, Senior Professional and Service Standards Manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, added: We re delighted that this exciting facility has been completed...the Centre will deliver both improved facilities for our staff and a better service for the public in the area. Operating from one base will allow greater co-ordination when it comes to responding to incidents and will make the best use of resources for both of our organisations.

9 Collaborative Commissioning Programme Inaugural Project on Care Homes The Commissioning Team are currently involved in a complex collaborative initiative in developing a framework agreement for young adults aged 18 to 64 years of age, with or without nursing requirements, who need mental health or learning disability support within a Care Home environment. The objectives of this landmark project being: To improve health and wellbeing of residents within publicly funded externally provided care settings To improve quality and safety assurances of the care provided within publicly funded externally provided care settings To deliver value for money/reduce overall publicly funded costs of externally provided care. Current arrangements in this area are ad hoc and lack any cohesive national approach with a multitude of variation across the Principality. All 22 Local Authorities and 7 Health Boards in Wales are participating in this challenging collaborative project which has a combined spend of over 1 billion based on the full 8 year potential duration. Funding for the project is via an Invest 2 Save initiative submitted to Welsh Government in January 2015 and approved in June This is a Once for Wales collaborative commissioning initiative and takes into account national well-being outcomes and the requirements of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, that will come into effect on 1 April 2016 alongside aspects of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015). Following the official launch of the project by Deputy Minister for Health, Vaughan Gething, AM, on the 8 October 2015 at Cardiff City Stadium, feedback received from the health and social care professionals was reflected on by the project group in the planning of the procurement principles. The Commissioning Team have just completed the pre-procurement phase which was designed to finalise the scope, resources, governance - and delivery plan for the procurement together with engagement events with key stakeholders including providers of services. A major component of this project is the Stakeholder Engagement & Communications approach for the project, to ensure that stakeholders are aware of the Programme and the benefits. It has been a very demanding period to date for the Commissioning team in supporting/running a range of Stakeholder events, including sessions with bidders. The Pre Qualification Stage is ongoing at date of this publication with a significant amount of data and intelligence being gathered to inform the Invitation to Tender stage (ITT). The ITT will include a common set of service & quality standards, ongoing contract management arrangements and a common & novel pricing/commercial approach.

10 New Accounts Payable Call System Set Up to Benefit Our Suppliers and Health Boards Following feedback from both suppliers and internal Health Board staff a new call handling system went live in December The new system has gone live in 3 phases: Phase 1 Hywel Dda, Public Health Wales and Velindre 9 December Phase 2 Cardiff & Vale and Cwm Taf 21 December Phase 3 Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Aneurin Bevan 8 March. The project has been led by Joanne Bateman, who has recruited a new Call Handling Team to handle all incoming calls. The team are using ActionPoint to record all calls until they have been closed. For any call that the Team are unable to resolve the ActionPoint request is now being routed directly to the individual responsible in the Accounts Payable Query team for them to resolve. Any call deemed to be a Priority e.g. Account on Stop, Court Action etc, is routed directly through to the appropriate Query Team Supervisor to resolve. Key performance indicators are in the process of being developed and these will be published at the end of April. The next challenge will be to come up with a solution for handling all of the internal that is received within the team. This is scheduled to be operational during May. For more information on the Call System please contact: Russell.Ward@wales.nhs.uk New Call Handling Team to handle all incoming calls established Any call that the Team are unable to resolve a request is now routed directly to the individual responsible in the Accounts Payable Query team

11 Updates from the eenablement Team Service Support The eenablement Service Support team, working with Accounts Payable (AP), have implemented an AP service desk and phone handling system. All calls are now being recorded and managed through the appropriate teams. This will give AP an in-depth knowledge of resource requirements to improve the service. The training team within service support has recently expanded and are looking into improving the training it offers within Procurement. Our aim is to speak with all organisations to find out how we can assist in training with their Procurement needs. There is a workshop taking place in March for Public Health Wales and Velindre to discuss best practice in the full Purchase-to-Pay process and we are hoping to conduct similar events with all organisations in the future. Service Improvement Towards the end of last year, the e-trading team successfully conducted awareness sessions with all Local Procurement teams; informing them on how the GHX and Procserve exchange systems are helping towards the NWSSP strategy to automate, receive and pay electronically 80% of all invoices coming into NHS Wales Procurement Services. Another key target is for all purchase orders to transmit from NHS Wales to suppliers electronically. Currently this figure is on 83%. Catalogue Management The Catalogue Management team, responsible for loading all contracted items into the iprocurement catalogue, have achieved a loading turnaround of 99.47% within the agreed timeframes. However, we re still trying to improve the service and are revising the Item Load Request Template to ensure accurate information is captured for catalogue item data quality. The next phase for catalogue management is to investigate ways to use the system to align business processes with the system process to achieve an iprocurement user friendly experience. Data & Reporting The capability and usability of the reporting tool Qlikview has now been created, implemented and rolled out across Procurement Services. Customers are happy with the ability to readily access reporting (KPI) information in a dashboard format.

12 Supply Chain Retains Excellence in Food Safety Accreditation at Bridgend Stores Once again we are delighted to report that Supply Chain Bridgend Stores has achieved the STS Food Safety accreditation following a very robust assessment completed earlier in the year. The STS Food Safety audit ensures all our warehouses meet sufficient standards to supply the NHS in Wales. The accreditation covers the basics in food hygiene for low risk food handlers, and includes the risks and responsibilities associated with handling food, personal hygiene, cleaning and contamination. Each Warehouse has to create and adhere to a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) document to evidence a systematic preventive approach to food safety that addresses all types of hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection. HACCP is used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that Critical Control Points (CCP's) can be put in place to reduce or eliminate risk. HACCP does not just apply to food preparation, but to all stages of food production such as packaging and distribution. Audits at our Denbigh and Cwmbran stores are due later in the year. Supply Chain Bridgend Stores achieves STS Food Safety accreditation

13 ISO27001 Certification Retained at Cardiff and Bridgend Sites In March, Procurement Services were subject to a 2 and a half day audit by BSI in order for us to retain our ISO27001 Information Security Standard certification. The auditor focused his visit on our Companies House and Bridgend sites, and we are pleased to say that we were successful in retaining the accreditation. Two minor nonconformances were raised around risk assessments and objectives and these will be addressed in the coming months in readiness for a follow up visit later in the year. Sharon Webber, Quality Manager said: Thanks go to all of you who put time aside to meet the auditor who spoke very positively about the level of information security awareness shown by staff. The good practice this standard demands will also be extended across other parts of Procurement Services going forward.

14 Procurement Work With Public Health Wales in Innovative Our Space Evaluation Public Health Wales ( P H W ) a n d P r o c u r e m e n t Services are in the process of evaluating an innovative procurement for a solution to a new collaborative workspace for PHW. An interior design brief has been sought for PHW s new headquarters in central Cardiff, and envisages suppliers to incorporate its existing furniture, as well as the supply of refurbished and new office furniture and equipment. Public Health Wales and Procurement Services evaluate solution to new collaborative workspace This is a fantastic opportunity for collaborative working for both organisations, with the aim of providing a pioneering and innovative workspace for PHW staff, while also ensuring value for money from a Procuement Services perspective. Utilising the sustainability Risk Assessment has allowed the project team to ensure our sustainability objectives are key features of the requirement. The project team are also hoping that community benefits will be generated via this project. The project is expected to be completed by August 2016 and both PHW and Procurement Services are very excited to see what design options are available to us for PHW to utilise and enjoy for the years to come. Not only has this procurement allowed PHW staff to get a head start in working more closely, this has also afforded an opportunity for the Frontline and Central Sourcing Capital Category Procurement staff to share knowledge and provide a seamless procurement service to the customer.

15 Procurement Services Support Welsh Blood Service Through Expansion Process Currently the Welsh Blood Service collects, processes, tests, and supplies blood to its customer hospitals across South, Mid and West Wales, while collection and supply in North Wales is undertaken by England-based NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). On 13 June 2012 Lesley Griffiths, the then Health and Social Services Minister announced the Welsh Government's intention to establish a National Blood Service for Wales by The Go-Live date for the transition to a National Blood Service for Wales is 2 May 2016, so there is plenty afoot for the Welsh Blood Service and Procurement Services to achieve by then. A new Donor Contact Centre has been designed and facilitated and Procurement Services are currently procuring new call-centre equipment for the Service to be able to answer calls efficiently and effectively, 12 hours a day, 5 days a week and Saturdays also. Minibuses and temperature-controlled vehicles have been purchased and delivered, new stock items have been created and supplied, and we are in the process of procuring some portaloos for the Service s donation sessions (It s not all glamour here at Procurement Services!). As with the Public Health Wales Our Space procurement exercise, the Central Sourcing Capital Procurement Team has also supported the delivery of this project, again demonstrating the effective use of resources at our disposal.

16 Standardisation at Hywel Dda University Health Board with Implementation of New Pumps Project In March 2016, Hywel Dda University Health Board commenced a roll out of new pumps as a result of a 15 month project. The Project aimed to replace the current stock that was n earing technical and clinical obsolescence and ensure standardisation of pumps, clinical practice and associated consumables within the Health Board and contribute to increased patient outcomes while also saving money. The project was funded predominantly through the Health Board but also through a successful Welsh Government bid for Invest to Save funding of 281,000 that was announced by Jane Hutt, Minister for Finance and Government via a press release on the 27 October 2015 to make up the shortfall in funding to complete the project. The Pump Replacement Project has been awarded for seven years to BBraun Medical Limited. The new pumps bring state of the art safety features to infusion therapy and provide a vehicle for the extended standardisation of practice across the Health Board. The use of a drugs library, dose error reduction capabilities and glucose control are all new benefits. The Project also has large financial benefits with project savings of 228,000 per annum. Prices are fixed and other added benefits include a 7 year warranties, parts and maintenance support. The project has covered Infusion, Syringe, PCA and TCI pumps and the associated consumables to complete the standardisation of clinical practice on infusion therapy. For further details contact Katharine Fletcher - Senior Procurement Business Manager: katharine.fletcher@wales.nhs.uk

17 Pharmacy, Appliances and Dressings Team: Latest Updates A challenging programme of work has been undertaken by the Medicines (Acute) team during the last 12 months that has seen cash releasing savings of 4million. Patent Expiries Focus turns to BioSimilars A number of high value drugs are due to come off-patent during the next few years, but unlike previous years, where Generic Drugs were launched ensuring savings of up to 90%, the next set of patent expiries will be for biologicals meaning that competition will come from biosimilar drugs and not generic equivalent drugs. This will bring a whole new set of challenges for all stakeholders as clinicians consider how they will manage the introduction of these biosimilars. More than 10 biologics with a value in Wales of more than 40m will be subject to competition taking us through to Clearly there will be opportunities for huge savings for Wales, but generic competition, the picture with the Biosimilars with regard to potential savings is less certain. Much will depend on the how well the different products are accepted into the market. Some products may only be used to treat new patients within a therapy area and inevitably prices will take longer to react to the slow uptake, however, with some drugs, prescribers will have more confidence in the products and in those cases we can expect to see savings much earlier after launch. Infliximab was the first product subject to biosimilar competition and earlier this year the team undertook a tender exercise which resulted in a contract for the original brand, Remicade and one of the biosimilar brands, Inflectra from Hospira. The All Wales Drug Contracting Committee has undertaken work to encourage use of the biosimilar and close monitoring by the team has allowed quarterly reporting of movements in usage to the biosimilar. This coupled with renegotiations of price with both contractors has so far produced cash releasing savings of 400k, with a further 2m to be reported in early 2016/17. All Wales Specialist Procurement Pharmacist Following the retirement in December 2015 of Dr Richard Sturgess after 25 years, we are pleased to report that Mark Francis has recently been appointed to this role on secondment for a year. Mark has been the Chair of the All Wales Drug Contracting Committee for the last year and comes to the role with a wealth of experience, as he has been the Pharmacy Manager at Singleton hospital for a number of years. We look forward to working closely with him in our continuing work and development of All Wales drugs procurement which will help support the delivery of even more benefit to NHS Wales.

18 Cwm Taf Communicates: Working with Health Board to Improve Frontline Communications Over the last couple of months Cwm Taf s Local Procurement Team have been working with the Health Boards communication team to improve the way we communicate with staff, visitors and patients. This has included buying advertisement in social media to get targeted key messages out via Facebook and Twitter and the purchase of digital signs for Royal Glamorgan Hospital to give more up to date information to patients and visitors and target key messages for that day throughout the hospital. Procurement working with communications team to improve relationships with staff, visitors and patients A procurement exercise was also completed to appoint a creative partner to help develop a campaign to advertise Cwm Taf s nursing post opportunities, a presentation morning was held with the Health Boards evaluation panel including Director of Nursing, Lynda Williams, Director of Work force and Organisation Development, Joanne Davies and the Assistant Head of Communications, Paul Edmonds. Three Companies were invited in to present their ideas to support their written bids to the panel in February. The evaluation panel appointed a local SME JamJar Ltd, as their creative partner. JamJar are now working with the communications team in the Health Board developing a Campaign, so keep your eye out on Facebook, Twitter and even IT Hub for the campaign.

19 Customer Excellence: Using Customer Feedback to Improve Our Services Procurement Services are once again hoping to retain our Customer Excellence accreditation when we are audited in April We have used the feedback received from our customers and from last year s assessment, to continually improve our service. We are now in the process of reviewing our customer surveys, improving our complaints procedure as well as the way we communicate via our website and through Health Boards SharePoint sites. Over the next few months, we will be focusing on improving our website and piloting an automated complaints process, to ensure that you are getting the quality customer service and support you require. 88% were satisfied with the quality of information and correspondence Our Survey results for the last 12 months show the following: 97% of customers feel they are treated fairly as a valued customer 96% of our customers said they are treated with politeness and courtesy when communicating with Procurement staff 92% of customers believe Procurement Services staff demonstrate knowledge & expertise in their areas

20 Thank you for reading our newsletter. If you would like further information on any of the articles contained within this newsletter or would like to submit an article for the next edition please contact: We really value your feedback Your comments and suggestions on NWSSP services and facilities are welcomed and will help us provide the best customer service possible. If you do have any feedback or questions please contact us at: We are now on Twitter! Follow