Category: In the News

CEO Dennis Robb features in the Journal of Healthcare Contracting

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Birmingham, England – 28th August 2018 – CEO Dennis Robb has been featured in a two-page profile in the August edition of the Journal of Healthcare Contracting.

After being named Contracting Professional of the Year by the Journal of Healthcare Contracting in 2009, this follow up piece focuses on his international leadership role at HealthTrust Europe and “The burning question: Can the strategies and disciplines assembled over a lifetime translate to a different culture, in a different country, away from a place of comfort and familiarity?”

Read the full article here (page 48-49)

Celebrating 70 Years of the NHS

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The National Health Service (NHS) and the delivery of free healthcare to those that need it has become part of Britain’s identity, and this year marks its 70th anniversary. HealthTrust Europe colleagues in Birmingham joined the national celebration with a fund-raising afternoon tea which raised £200 for NHS charities.

Partnering with NHS clinicians, heads of procurement and staff, HealthTrust Europe was proud to take this opportunity to celebrate their compassionate care, dedication and ongoing commitment. Wishing the NHS a happy 70th birthday.

Alison Parker, Co-Chair of the HealthTrust Europe GPO and Associate Director of Procurement at Warrington and Halton Hospitals said;

“The NHS is an amazing national institution that continues to deliver a fantastic service despite all of the challenges and pressures it is faced with on a daily basis. I am not only very proud to be a part of the NHS family but also passionate about the work that I and my procurement colleagues do to support such a valued British institution; the NHS is a beautiful thing.”

How We Work with the NHS

We’re proud to partner with the NHS and committed to delivering solutions that support the needs of public sector healthcare providers. We hold a strong and long-standing relationship with the NHS, working together to improve healthcare performance with our Group Purchasing Organisation Members. We are committed to developing and delivering solutions that support the needs of public sector healthcare providers, including acute hospitals and non-acute healthcare providers, to achieve their strategic objectives.

HealthTrust Europe Hosts First Educational Pharmacy Workshop

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This month, HealthTrust Europe (HTE) hosted our first educational Pharmacy workshop in Birmingham. The event was designed in partnership with our customers, who wanted to find out more information regarding how new legislations will affect them.

The focus for the day was the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR came into effect on 29th May 2018 and pharmacies could now be heavily fined if they break new data protection rules. FMD will go live across Europe on Saturday 9th February 2019. Our aim, as usual, was to support exceptional healthcare in the communities that we serve by providing much needed answers to the challenges which will arise from these directives.

HTE’s Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Robb, opened the event and welcomed Claymore Richardson, Senior Policy Manager: Pharmacy for the Department of Health and Social Care. Claymore initially led on the policy development of FMD at the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and was well placed to provide an overview on the directive and the impact it will have on hospital pharmacies. He also shared details of secondary care guidance resources that can be accessed.

As the day progressed, key healthcare providers and suppliers offered practical solutions for achieving compliance and welcomed questions. Delegates from both private healthcare and NHS trusts took the opportunity to obtain valuable insights on the best way to prepare for changes ahead.

Inderjit Singh, Chief Pharmacist for University Hospitals Birmingham, commented;

“FMD is set to come into full force early next year, so HTE hosted a very timely and informative workshop. This provided an opportunity to understand the implications of the legislations and learn about the solution offerings from all of the main suppliers which will be available to support implementation”.

Sanjeev Narwal, Associated Vice President for Pharmacy at HealthTrust Europe, added;

“We are overjoyed with the level of support this event received from Midlands based Chief Pharmacists. The depth of the content presented and engagement from Chief Pharmacists demonstrated the value of hosting this event. As the day progressed, a number of challenges that the pharmaceutical industry will face were revealed and the expert speakers were able to provide some answers and guidance. This event also offered a great networking opportunity for new and old colleagues within the public sector and private hospitals to advance the profession in a very challenging climate”.

We would like to thank all delegates and speakers for helping to make the day a success and look forward to partnering with healthcare providers and suppliers to address FMD and GDPR compliance.

Register here if you would like to be kept informed of future events.

HealthTrust Europe Celebrates International Nurses’ Day 2018

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Saturday 12th May 2018, was International Nurses’ Day. The day is an opportunity to recognise and reflect upon the contribution that caring nurses and allied health professionals make to people’s lives all around the world. To mark the occasion, HealthTrust Europe (HTE) colleagues in Birmingham had a blue-themed dress down day and a bake sale to raise money for the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) Foundation and Duchenne UK on Friday 11th May. A total of £404 was raised, which will be shared equally between both organisations.

Deepa Korea, Head of Foundation, RCN Foundation, said;

“Every day, thousands of people rely on the care provided by nurses, midwives and health care assistants. The RCN Foundation is firmly committed to providing vital support to the nursing team when they need it most. Donations such as yours are essential to helping us to achieve our aims. Thank you so much for helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of so many nurses, midwives and health care assistants”.

Katie Waller, a Research Nurse for the Royal Victoria infirmary in Newcastle said;

“I joined the muscle team as a Research Nurse in Newcastle in September 2016. My role is funded by Duchenne UK and Joining Jack, and was introduced to help increase trial capacity for patients with DMD as part of the ‘Newcastle Plan. I am so grateful to have been funded by Duchenne UK and Joining Jack and thoroughly enjoy working in a role which allows me to develop my clinical skills as well as specialist knowledge into the condition which I can then share with our patients”.

This year, International Nurses’ Day took place in the same week as Hospital Week in the U.S.A. Milton Johnson, Chairman and CEO of HCA Healthcare, also shared a special message with employees of the group;

“Please join us in thanking our nurses for the critical role they play in caring for our patients. While these are events we celebrate each year, they take on added significance in 2018: the year of HCA Healthcare’s 50th anniversary.
In 1968, HCA was established with a single 200-bed hospital – Park View Hospital, in Nashville, Tennessee. Since then, we have grown into an organization that offers access to quality, compassionate care across 20 U.S. states and the U.K. In nearly 30 million patient encounters each year, we put our shared mission into practice: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life.
When Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., Dr. Thomas Frist Jr. and Jack Massey joined together to found HCA 50 years ago, their goal was to provide superior healthcare with warmth and compassion for patients, colleagues and communities. A lot has changed in 50 years, but each of you help ensure those core tenets are as relevant as ever in our hospitals, urgent care centers, physician practices, surgery centers and other points of care throughout the organisation.”

International Nurses’ Day is also close to the heart of Claire Moses, Director of Clinical Boards for HTE’s, Group Purchasing Organisation. Claire is a Registered Nurse (Adult), with previous experience gained in both the military and Neurology. Claire shared her thoughts on how HTE’s commitment to the care and improvement of human life is supported with clinical experience and knowledge;

“HTE supports nursing services in the communities that we serve by bringing together pockets of clinical excellence and inspiring clinical teams to deliver the best quality products to provide safe and effective patient care. We break down the barriers between procurement and the clinical teams in order for members to realise their goals.
This year is made more special, as we approach the 70th Anniversary of the NHS. Over the past 70 years the NHS has gone through significant change, each step of the way has been challenging. However, through the combined efforts of all staff, the NHS continues to strive towards providing excellent patient care.”

More about the RCN Foundation
The RCN Foundation is an independent charity which is part of the Royal College of Nursing Group. Their mission is to support and strengthen nursing to improve the health and wellbeing of the public. The Foundation provides advice and financial assistance when members of the nursing profession are facing hardship. this could be caused by illness, domestic abuse or simply not being able to make ends meet. In 2017, they supported over 1,700 individuals who were facing hardship. 74% of grant recipients said that the grant had increased their independence.
The foundation also funds education and career development opportunities, alongside strategic, nursing-led projects that aim to improve patient care. Their current focus is supporting the nursing team working in a care home setting. Over the next three years, this will be expanded to focus on mental health and learning disability nursing.

More about Duchenne UK
Our chosen charity for 2018, Duchenne UK, is funding several nursing posts via the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) Hub. The aim of the DMD Hub is to ensure all patients have the chance to take part in a clinical trial, by increasing clinical trial capacity in the UK. The work of the DMD Hub includes a total of three years of funding for a Clinical Research Nurse at the Royal Victoria infirmary in Newcastle and two years of funding for a Clinical Trials Nurse at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. The £202 we are donating will cover the funding for a nurse for one day.

Raising Vital Funds for our Local Community on International Women’s Day

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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

New website reinforces HealthTrust Europe’s vision for the future and commitment to improving healthcare

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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:

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.

Recognising Employee Achievements

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We are delighted to recognise Daniel Chapman, Director of Pathology at HealthTrust Europe, who graduated with a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management this month. Daniel began his distance learning course at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Business School in January 2015, which he has completed alongside his full-time role.

“Dan is a hardworking, innovative, committed, thoughtful and a consistent leader for HealthTrust Europe. I’m very proud of him in the way he has embraced his leadership role leading by example and this fantastic achievement.” commented Sanjeev Narwal, AVP for Pharmacy.

An interview with Daniel Chapman

 

Why did you choose to undertake this higher education?
I believed this would support my personal and professional development, improving my knowledge and understanding in key areas of expertise and developing well-rounded experience. The degree is also accredited by the Chartered Institute of Procurement, which is recognised across my peers and in the wider industry.

What knowledge, skills or learnings have you gained?
The MSc has helped me to advance my skills in a variety of areas including the management of individuals and teams, basic contract law and how it can be applied, effective contract management which in turn supports customer delivery, and increased financial understanding including how the performance of my business area affects the wider business, enabling me to make commercially sound business decisions.

How has this helped you in your role at HealthTrust Europe?
I believe it’s important to have a balance between experience and theory, and my role at HealthTrust Europe provides me with a fantastic opportunity to put that theory into practise. Consequently, I have been able to establish Pathology as a key business function for the organisation with a high-performing team. Being able to help and support my team’s development is also important to me and I believe this degree has been fundamental in doing this effectively.

 

Clinically-Driven GPO Contract Delivers Significant Value

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HealthTrust Europe is excited to announce the launch of our latest GPO contract for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT). This clinically-driven sourcing exercise has produced significant Value (quality, safety and service benefits) for our GPO members, as well as double-digit savings.

Five GPO members committed to award to a sole supplier, which strengthened our negotiations with the supplier community and delivered a group average of 49% discount off previous year spend.

This full OJEU tender process involved a robust quality evaluation model with clinicians coming together and embracing the opportunity to design the specifications and agree the requirements they deemed necessary for products they will use to deliver quality patient care.

The quality evaluation stage ensured products were suitable for use in a variety of different environments within both acute and community settings. A comprehensive provision of training and support was essential to provide end-users with the knowledge to use the products and reasoning for use of different dressings. This also encompassed educational sessions, competency-based training on-site within the clinical setting and train-the-trainer activities.

Focused on ensuring products are safe, appropriate and effective for use, the quality evaluation stage also established warranty cover, frequent service for pumps and a protocol for repair of faulty devices.

The top two highest scoring suppliers then moved onto a one month product evaluation period within some of the participating trusts. Tissue Viability Nurses were provided with training for both devices before evaluating them with various dressing changes. Our in-house clinical staff then collated and verified the scoring to confirm the awarded supplier.

HealthTrust Europe develops partnerships with its supplier community and is committed to ensuring a smooth and successful transition for members who move to a new supplier. As this was the case for several members, the awarded supplier is required to meet a variety of KPIs during the implementation phase to ensure this is achieved within the agreed timescales.

This offering is exclusively available to GPO members who agreed to participate within the category, committing clinical engagement and spend from their trust which when aggregated enabled the movement of market share and the award to a sole supplier to drive significant saving opportunities for the good of the group.

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

First GPO Contract Delivers Cost Saving Opportunities

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The first GPO contract has been awarded for Disposable Gowns, achieving a group average of 14% discount off previous year spend for our members. This was a clinically-driven sourcing exercise with commitment from six GPO members to award to a sole supplier.

Clinical end-users representative of Consultants, Surgeons & Nurses worked with us to define the clinical specifications which were taken to market. Together, we reviewed product samples from a range of suppliers and determined the characteristics for a high quality product that all clinical stakeholders would be happy with. These were then built into specifications and criteria for evaluating products.

Following the scoring of tender submissions, the top two scoring suppliers moved forward to product evaluations.

Product evaluations were undertaken across a number of clinical services and stakeholders who deemed the Medline gowns to be of the highest quality and clinically acceptable. Product evaluation scores were aligned to tender submission scores on quality and price, to identify the ‘sole’ winning supplier Medline.

Clinical end-users remain engaged in the process working with their procurement colleagues, HealthTrust Europe and Medline to ensure smooth implementation of the contract. The move away from the incumbent suppliers to Medline will be supported by our dedicated team to ensure full conversion within the agreed timescales.

An exciting outcome and a demonstration of what a clinically driven group purchasing model is able to deliver

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

GPO Model Demonstrates Partnership and Aligned Decision-Making

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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