Category: In the News

On Thursday 8th March, men and women at HealthTrust Europe (HTE) celebrated International Women’s Day 2018. As part of HCA Healthcare, the largest non-governmental healthcare organisation in the world, we spent this day appreciating the many amazing women in healthcare, both past and present. We were delighted by the recent announcement that three women lead the HSJ top 50 trust chief executives. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) also recently revealed their initiative to encourage more young women to consider STEM careers by creating lesson plans which feature famous female scientists through history.

HTE is committed to improving healthcare in the communities we serve. We strive to make a valuable difference to people’s lives and believe that women and children have the right to live free from violence, abuse and fear. An estimated 1.2 million women aged 16 to 59 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year, according to the year ending March 2017 Crime Survey for England and Wales. This is why the £250 raised from our purple themed dress down day has been donated to Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid (BSWAid).

Sally Insley, Head of Fundraising at BSWAid, said “We are truly grateful for the support received from HTE. This £250 will help us to provide around 15 emergency ‘First Night’ packs that we can give to women when they arrive at refuge. These packs will contain essential items such as toiletries, food, sanitary ware and baby items. When a woman and her family first present at refuge, they have very little by way of belongings. These packs mean that those arriving at refuge have the basics to keep them comfortable for the first night. Thank you so much to all of the staff at HTE for helping us to make a difference.”

For over 35 years, BSWAid has been assisting women and children in our local community by providing emergency accommodation in six refuges. They also operate a helpline, drop-in services, counselling, help with criminal and civil legal proceedings, education and outreach, and family guidance. The services they provide change lives for the better and offer them a brighter future. We are honoured to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to our local community.

“At HTE, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life. To successfully achieve this, we believe it is essential to “Press for Progress”. The skills, abilities and experiences of our talented, diverse workforce has led to greater empathy, understanding and innovation. We are dedicated to the professional development of all our colleagues and value their unique talents. We reviewed our pay in 2017 to ensure that gender pay parity exists and continue to review this on an ongoing basis. We are proud to support a bright, equal, safe and rewarding future for women in the healthcare profession.” Dennis Robb, Chief Executive Officer for HTE

What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is recognised around the world to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity and stimulating discussion on what more needs to be done. This year’s theme was “Press for Progress”, to accelerate gender parity and increase opportunities for career progression. Find Out More

Over the last 18 months we’ve undergone a significant transformation both in terms of our structure and our raison d’être. The time had therefore come for us to reinvent ourselves, with a new website which represents a true reflection of our current capabilities and our future objectives.

 

Back to basics

By re-evaluating and simplifying our core offering, HealthTrust Europe has a clear vision for the future: to operate nationally as a platform connecting our healthcare provider and supplier communities to improve healthcare. This is achieved via our easy-to-understand market offering that comprises:

• A committed group purchasing model
• A flexible purchased services model
• Comprehensive pharmacy and pathology services

Individually, each of these elements is proven to be highly effective in performance improvement for healthcare providers. When accessed together, as one cohesive package, they offer real operational efficiency and cost-saving opportunities that are needed to deliver exceptional healthcare.

 

A name you can trust

In recognition of the increased popularity of storytelling, we wanted to ensure that the new website tells our story. So we’ve included sections that explain who we are, why we’re here, what we offer and how we serve our communities.

HealthTrust Europe is part of HCA Healthcare – a leading healthcare organisation that’s driven by the care and improvement of human life. In the pursuit of our shared mission we live by the following values: courage, innovation, accountability, adaptability and trust.

Focused on delivering results that make a difference – to the patients and to the bottom line – we have the organisational structure, the knowledge and the expertise to execute total spend management solutions effectively.

 

Working in partnership

However, it’s not just about getting results; we place our customers at the heart of everything we do. HealthTrust Europe is an organisation you can rely on. As your partner, we offer the help and support you need to drive results for your organisation. Our friendly, professional and knowledgeable Customer Care team is on hand to resolve customer enquiries, while providing the highest level of customer service and developing strong customer relationships.

True to this customer-centric ethos our new easy-to-navigate website has been built with you in mind – providing clear access to relevant and up-to-date framework information, with distinct sections for healthcare providers and healthcare suppliers.

We invite you to explore the new site and would welcome any feedback. After all, listening to our customers and monitoring our performance play an integral part in our goal of achieving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

As the only national committed-model group purchasing organisation (GPO) in the UK, we take clinical and commercial requirements to market on behalf of our members and undertake procurement activities aimed at obtaining the highest quality products and services at the best price for healthcare providers.

Our clinically-driven sourcing process underpins our mission to strengthen provider performance and clinical excellence to ultimately improve healthcare in the communities we serve.

Established in 2016, a group of customers were invited to join HealthTrust Europe in building a GPO, using a proven model from our parent organisation in the US, and a focus on driving value (Quality, Safety, Service and Price). Today our membership has grown to fifteen members which are listed below:

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust
HCA Healthcare UK
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Wye Valley NHS Trust

Each month, representatives from our members participate in advisory board meetings and govern all contract decisions. The Clinical Advisory Board, representative of doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and other clinical end-users, drive the development of clinical specifications and determine ‘like’ products which are clinically acceptable. The Procurement Partnership Board, representative of procurement and supply chain experts works with HealthTrust Europe to set the commercial requirements and provides commitment necessary to negotiate the lowest costs.

The courage, commitment and partnership approach that our members have demonstrated has led to significant developments in a short period of time, enabling fifteen independent healthcare providers to work together and deliver greater results for the good of the group rather than on an individual basis.

To date, we have launched five GPO contracts, all of which have delivered double-digit savings opportunities for our members. These include Disposable Gowns, Renal Consumables, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Consumables, CSSD Consumables and Anaesthetic & Oxygen Consumables. The group average across the contracts is between 10-49% discount off previous year spend.

Globally, HealthTrust serves approximately 1,600 acute care facilities and members in more than 26,000 other locations, and leverages $30B of spend to negotiate cost saving opportunities and best terms for its members.

Interested in accessing the industry’s best prices? Contact our Customer Care team to discuss GPO membership on 0845 887 5000 or email customercare@htepg.com

Requirement to use approved frameworks for all agency staff procurement

From 1st April 2016, all trusts subject to the agency rules have been mandated by NHS Improvement (formerly Monitor/TDA) to procure all agency staff including nurses, doctors and other clinical staff via an approved framework provider.

Further information on the agency rules and price caps can be found here

HealthTrust Europe is an NHS Improvement approved framework provider and we are supporting trusts nationwide to procure their agency staff at the best possible rates in line with the price caps via a compliant route.

In situations where it is necessary to break glass on the grounds of patient safety, it is important that trusts do not move off framework to source agency workers. We have seen multiple examples of this costing trusts substantially more than staying on framework. In these instances we will work with you to ensure on framework delivery of agency staff at the best possible rates in line with the price caps.

HealthTrust Europe supported its customers in reducing above cap transactions by 7% in the month of March.

Our “Top Caps” league tables are now available to support our members in the procurement of agency staff. League tables are trust-specific and data-driven, providing you with a quick and easy method to select agencies that have demonstrated adherence to caps in specific band and grade options both regionally and by trust.

For assistance in eradicating your off framework spend and ensuring NHS Improvement compliance, please don’t hesitate to contact the dedicated agency team on 0845 8874 979 or by email at agency@htepg.com

 

The TrainingSmart programme has been developed to provide the healthcare recruitment industry with a robust, high-quality training service. This initiative aims to provide both awarded and aspiring agencies with the tools for best practice, continuous improvement and staff development opportunities. This will enable customers to be confident that agencies can demonstrate high standards in compliance, ethical recruitment, and organisational integrity. 

 “The launch of these services demonstrates our commitment to leading the way in providing Agency Staffing procurement to the NHS and our wider customer base. We aim to utilise the services to support industry standards and to complement our independent audit services in providing a pro-active mechanism for raising the bar in quality.” Gary Snart, Agency Staffing Category Manager at HTE

HealthTrust Europe (HTE) has a long-standing relationship with Neuven Solutions, its independent auditor, and views this initiative as a platform to enhance its Agency Staffing offering and support NHS Trusts in a difficult and changing market place.

“Neuven Solutions Ltd (NSL) are delighted to partner with Health Trust Europe (HTE) to offer a range of services designed to ensure that the procurers of temporary staffing labour are protected by receiving the highest standard of agency staff.

Throughout our long and successful partnership with HTE, we have been delighted to support their commitment to compliance and continuous improvement and we are confident that these products will continue to increase standards across the board.” John Simmonds Chief Executive, Neuven Solutions Ltd.

For further information, please contact our Helpdesk on 0845 887 5000 or email helpdesk@healthtrusteurope.com

In line with the agency rules for the procurement of agency staff, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) have now published a list of approved frameworks. The latest communication from Monitor can be viewed here.

In line with the agency rules for the procurement of agency staff, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) have now published a list of approved frameworks. The latest communication from Monitor can be viewed here.

Trusts subject to the agency rules are required to procure all agency staff via an approved framework from this list from 1^st April 2016.

HealthTrust Europe (HTE) is pleased to announce that we have gained approval from Monitor and the TDA for our frameworks listed below:

• Medical Locums and Locum GPs
• Nursing and Care Services
• Allied Health Professionals (AHP/HSS)

Further framework information including a list of awarded suppliers can be found in the framework briefs accessed via our Corporate Portfolio page.

HTE is developing an enhanced Total Workforce Solutions framework which will fully incorporate all agency worker groups including an NMNC offering and extended scope for executive resourcing. This new framework is being designed to facilitate your short, medium and long-term resourcing strategies and will be available to access no later than 1^st November 2016.

Should you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact the dedicated agency team on 0845 8874 979 or by email at agency@htepg.com