HealthTrust Europe teams up with FareShare Birmingham to deliver 2,000 meals

HealthTrust Europe, a leading healthcare business based in Edgbaston, has teamed up with charity Fareshare to help deliver food to residents in need across Birmingham. 

 

Fareshare is the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste by reducing food waste and delivering vital services to people most in need across local communities. They prevent good food from going to waste by redistributing it to frontline charities. The work of its volunteers is crucial to ensuring that Fareshare accomplishes its mission, performing critical tasks like preparing orders at the depots across the city and ensuring that food is distributed as quickly as possible.  

 

As we enter winter, team members from HealthTrust Europe volunteered with the charity to sort, package and prepare orders for collection and delivery. This volunteer work helped ensure that food reached those most in need, resulting in saving 2,000 meals from going to waste by the end of the day.  

 

HealthTrust Europe’s support for Fareshare is part of its wider mission to support its local community. The company is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of those most in need and hopes that other organisations will be inspired to take advantage of the volunteering opportunities available to them across Birmingham and the West Midlands.  

 

The initiative is just the latest charitable cause HealthTrust Europe has supported. Team members from the leading procurement organisation recently embarked on an ambitious fundraising walk to raise money for HealthTrust Europe’s charity for 2023, the Miscarriage Association, and raised thousands in the process.  

 

Bashira Begum, a volunteer from HealthTrust Europe, said: 

“Volunteering at Fareshare Birmingham was an eye-opening experience. It was amazing to see how much food could go to waste every day and how much of a difference we can make by redistributing it to those in need. I would highly recommend volunteering at Fareshare Birmingham to anyone who wants to positively impact their community.” 

 

Hannah Barton, HealthTrust Europe’s HR Director, said: 

“Volunteering provides an opportunity for colleagues to give something back to the community, whilst developing new skills and connecting with people over a common purpose. At HTE, we believe that everyone has something to offer, and encourage our employees to get involved with our corporate volunteering scheme, for the greater good as well as their own wellbeing”. 

 

HealthTrust Europe announces Gary Welch as incoming CEO

HealthTrust Europe, a trusted procurement organisation and supply chain partner for healthcare providers, has announced the appointment of Gary Welch as its new Chief Executive Officer. Gary will officially join the business in February 2024.

Gary has nearly 20 years of experience in health and social care and will be joining HealthTrust Europe from Oxford University Foundation Trust, where he served as Director of Procurement and Supply Chain.

Starting his career in engineering and production management, Gary then joined the NHS in 2005 as part of the Supply Chain Excellence Programme. Here, he worked closely on one of the first collaborative procurement hubs in the NHS, before holding a number of senior procurement roles across the health service. Gary also led the procurement programme at The Shelford Group, a collaboration between ten of the largest teaching and research NHS hospital trusts in England.

Located in Birmingham, HealthTrust Europe has an enviable track record of delivering leading procurement solutions addressing all aspects of public sector delivery and is a Trusted Procurement Partner to over 1,000 organisations. Working with over 2,500 suppliers, the company empowers providers to achieve operational efficiencies and cost savings, access innovative technologies, and strengthen the performance of their services.

Commenting on his appointment, Gary Welch said:

“I am thrilled to be joining the HealthTrust Europe team at a time when healthcare is at the forefront of the challenges across the public and private sectors. The opportunity for procurement to deliver innovation and value to our customers has never been greater.

I am excited to get started and maximise our potential in the procurement sector, ensuring that HealthTrust Europe continues to offer invaluable support to our customers, helping them to deliver excellent patient care while driving efficiency and innovation in both healthcare and non-healthcare sectors.

“HealthTrust Europe boasts an exceptional team of committed and talented colleagues and I look forward to leading the business from strength to strength.”

HealthTrust Europe’s Executive Leadership Team said:

“We are delighted to announce Gary Welch as our incoming Chief Executive Officer. Gary brings an outstanding track record of success and his leadership will be invaluable for securing the continued success of HealthTrust Europe.

“We look forward to welcoming Gary as we continue our mission to help providers enhance and improve the services they provide to the communities they serve.”

HealthTrust Europe Receives High Commendation at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2023!

HealthTrust Europe is delighted to announce that our Digital Pathology project has been Highly Commended in the Procurement Project of the Year at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2023, recognising our outstanding dedication to improving healthcare and effective collaboration with the NHS across multiple complex systems.

The event was attended by over 900 guests, bringing together national healthcare leaders and professionals from both the NHS and private sector to celebrate the crucial contributions of the private sector within the NHS. The evening celebrated the achievements of a total of 141 finalists over 21 categories.

The Health & Care Act cites collaboration and partnership working as the key success factor for the future sustainability of the NHS. The HSJ Partnerships Awards are therefore not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of our integrated health and care system.

The prestigious award programme, now in its sixth year, recognises and honours the most effective partnerships, innovative projects and collaborations in the UK health system. Entering, being chosen as a Finalist, then being honoured with a High Commendation shines a light on HealthTrust Europe’s role in strengthening the healthcare system. This accolade also validates the importance of this project and gives our team the confidence to continue its tireless support work.

The judging panel comprised a diverse range of 90 highly regarded figures across the NHS and wider healthcare sector.

The Digital Pathology project partnership was selected based on its diligence, ambition, and the positive impact that the project has had on both practitioners and patients across 19 NHS Trusts in the PathLAKE consortium.  There was no pre-existing dedicated procurement route designed specifically to support requirements for digital pathology, creating a significant barrier to the overall project success.

The scope was to digitise histopathology slides and transition Trusts towards full digitalisation via the procurement of digital slide scanners and Image Management Software, enabling the foundation to advance towards clinical diagnostics via Artificial Intelligence solutions.

Key stakeholders were mapped and engaged, including Pathologists, Clinical Directors,

Laboratory Staff, Procurement Leads, IT Leads, Project Management Leads which formed critical support for the project to be successful and be delivered within the required timeframe.

As a direct result of this procurement procedure the consortium has benefitted from the power of aggregated spend resulting in a significant direct 30% saving for members of PathLAKE Plus across the services, supporting the Carter efficiency programme aims.

Quote from spokespersons

Dale Robinson, COO at HealthTrust Europe comments, “We are incredibly proud to have been Highly Commended in the Procurement Project of the Year, recognising the collaborative efforts and dedication of our team to successfully implement the ‘Upscaling of Digital Pathology project’. We are committed to delivering improved outcomes for patients, and to be included in the category among the other incredible nominees is a real achievement. To be recognised by the judges in this way in the renowned HSJ Partnership Awards provides a seal of approval for the work that we strive to deliver and supports all the hard work of both our team and our NHS partners at UHCW Trust and PathLAKE Plus. We continue to progress our partnership work with an extra sense of pride and a continued commitment to provide outstanding services to the NHS.”

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan comments, “We’re delighted that HealthTrust Europe is Highly Commended in the category of Procurement Project of the Year at this year’s HSJ Partnership Awards 2023. The work of HealthTrust Europe has been recognised in an outstanding field of nominees, each showcasing the very best collaborations and innovations in the healthcare sector today. Well done HealthTrust Europe – all credit to you and your team – you can be proud of all that you’ve achieved.”

Winners and Highly Commended projects were selected following a rigorous judging stage ahead of the HSJ Partnership Awards 2023 awards ceremony.

Catalog360 awarded as a supplier to UK Government G-Cloud 13 Framework

Catalog360 – a subsidiary of leading procurement company HealthTrust Europe – have been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) G-Cloud 13 framework. Catalog360 is an awarded supplier for services under Lot 2 Cloud Software (SaaS) – applications which are accessed over the internet and hosted in the cloud.

G-Cloud 13 is live on the Government’s new Public Procurement Gateway (PPG) digital contract and award service from 9th November 2022. UK government departments and other public sector bodies registered to use the PPG service will be able to access and purchase Catalog360’s innovative cloud-based e-Procurement tool which offers advanced catalogue searching whilst giving users full control on spending across all business units and locations.

Catalog360 connects organisations to the supplier community, radically streamlining the procurement process using a combination of e-Procurement tools that give full control of spending across all business areas and locations. Catalog360 provides the tools to enable customers to manage assets with confidence. Reports and dashboards within the platform enable users to view their total spend at a click of a button, empowering effective decision making, maximising efficiency and keeping costs in check.

The G-Cloud 13 Framework supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. It offers solutions that can be utilised by organisations across the public sector, including – but not limited to – the NHS, government agencies and departments. CCS supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2020/21, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £2.04bn – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.

Chief Operating Officer, Dale Robinson, said:
“We are delighted that Catalog360 has been included in the UK Government Crown Commercial G-Cloud 13 initiative. We look forward to working together with Public sector organisations accessing this framework to help them respond to improve spend controls, embed organisational governance and to realise savings.
“Catalog360 is designed to deliver the greatest cost-savings to organisations, without ever compromising on quality. In the current economic climate, this is vitally important as we seek to maximise efficiencies in the public sector whilst continuing to deliver exceptional services.”

If you would like to learn more about Catalog360, please contact our dedicated Customer Care team via 0845 887 5000 or customercare@htepg.com. You can also find out more on the Catalog360 website.

Ultimate Procurement, Complete Control: HealthTrust Europe Launches New Catalog360 Website

HealthTrust Europe has today unveiled a fresh new look for its flagship Catalog360 platform – an innovative, cloud-based e-Procurement tool offering advanced catalogue searching whilst giving users full control on spending across all business units and locations.

Catalog360 is a cloud-based system designed to connect providers with market-leading supplier communities, using an on-demand catalogue system. The Catalog360 brand has undergone big changes, with the website being enhanced to showcase what the platform has to offer.

The Catalog360 platform combines a variety of innovative e-Procurement tools to allow organisations to not only access high-quality goods and services, but to also control and manage spending through a smart dashboard that provides users the ability to oversee and control spending across locations and in line with unique budgets.

Catalog360 offers a single purchasing portal for all purchasing needs, and even centralises all active contracts in one easy to access place; shifting to a paperless system is made easier than ever, and the cloud storage system means users can have full confidence in the security of documentation. Furthermore, the digital system offers a search tool, allowing users to identify quickly and easily the goods and services they need in a completely transparent way – users can also be assured that they are accessing only the best value products using the price comparison tool.

The Content Management Services embedded within Catalog360 are centrally managed and continually updated, removing the need for individual organisations to have to contact suppliers for updates. This significantly enhances efficiency at all levels, generating huge time savings for both suppliers and organisations, whilst making it even easier to get the right answers when you need them. Offering a compliant route to market for thousands of contracts where required, including PEPPOL Integration, users are guaranteed to purchase using only verified routes to market.

HealthTrust Europe has designed the platform for both private and public healthcare providers with purchasing needs, the platform is multi-faceted and can also be utilised by private equity firms and other organisations that require a central, compliant and secure portfolio of goods and services.

With more than 300,000 products that are vendor supplied, validated and cleansed, as well as access to contracts that are clinically led and checked for quality, safety, service and price, Catalog360 is at the cutting-edge of procurement.

If you are interested in becoming a Catalog360 member, or if you would like to learn more about our innovative platform, contact our dedicated customer care team via 0845 887 5000 or customercare@htepg.com, or visit the Catalog360 website.

HealthTrust Europe becomes a Corporate Support of The King’s Fund

HealthTrust Europe is pleased to announce that it has entered into a partnership with The King’s Fund.

HealthTrust Europe’s core mission is to improve healthcare in the communities we serve through strengthening provider performance and clinical excellence. We partner with healthcare providers to build strong relationships that are founded on shared goals, mutual understanding and trust. As a Corporate Supporter of the King’s Fund, we will work together to gain greater insight and exposure into health policy, with the ambition to continue enhancing our solutions. Our partnership is one that will positively influence our work with existing partners and healthcare providers, to drive positive patient outcomes and further enhance the high-quality of care delivered across the UK.

The work of The King’s Fund is front and centre of health and care policy, and we are pleased to be a part of this important partnership that will see us learn from and contribute to current debates in the sector, establishing our support of the important thought-leadership work performed by the Fund and demonstrate our in-depth knowledge of topical issues in the health and care sector.

The King’s Fund is at the forefront of many key policy debates in the health and care sectors that we are also actively involved in. Current thinking around Integrated Care Systems and NHS Reform, debates about the use of technology in health and care, and of course the continued learning around COVID-19 and the NHS response to the pandemic are just a few of the key policy areas where HealthTrust Europe is able to provide unique expertise and insight, with the shared ambition of continually improving the quality of patient care.

To find out more about upcoming events being held by The King’s Fund, or to learn more about the current priorities in the health and care sector, you can visit the website: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk

Catalog360 and Pagero partner to provide PEPPOL and Catalogue Solutions for the Healthcare Market

We are pleased to announce that HealthTrust Europe (HTE) has entered into a partnership agreement with Pagero Group to provide PEPPOL services and Catalogue solutions via HTE’s subsidiary company, Catalog360.

Catalog360 is an eCommerce platform that centralises the procurement of healthcare products and services using an intuitive web and cloud-based system. Catalog360’s decision to partner with Pagero is based on their extensive capability and proven track-record with PEPPOL; currently one of the largest providers of this service in the business, Pagero has a strong healthcare pedigree and long-standing experience of working with healthcare suppliers and hospitals, supporting HTE’s central ethos of providing care and improvement of human life.

Dale Robinson, COO at HealthTrust Europe said:

“We are delighted to announce the partnership of Catalog360 with Pagero Group, which will provide our members access to a fully electronic and PEPPOL compliant route to procurement in the healthcare sector. The partnership will equip our member organisations with the necessary tools to continue driving strategic partnerships in the healthcare supply chain, assured that they are receiving market-leading catalogue solutions that are aligned to PEPPOL standards. Our goal is, and always has been, to support our members to provide exceptional care for the betterment of human life. Our partnership with Pagero will enable our member organisations to drive even more positive patient outcomes.”

Anna Micklewright, Global Head of Sales for Pagero’s Healthcare Division said:

“We are delighted that catalog360 has chosen to partner with Pagero to deliver PEPPOL services and delighted to be able to integrate into catalog360’s impressive catalogue solutions. Pagero has experience in the implementation of PEPPOL in multiple countries and we have worked with hospitals and the major suppliers to the healthcare industry for many years. We are very excited to be part of the first PEPPOL roll outs in the private healthcare sector via this partnership and look forward to delivering efficiencies back to both the healthcare organisations and the healthcare suppliers who serve them.”

 

Contact Details

Catalog360: Dale Robinson, Chief Operating Officer, 0845 887 5000, dale.robinson@htepg.com
Pagero: Anna Micklewright, Global Head of Sales Healthcare, +44 (0)77 36 89 33 32 anna.micklewright@pagero.com

 

About Catalog360

Catalog360 is a whole owned subsidiary of HealthTrust Europe, launched in 2015. Catalog360 is headquartered in Edgbaston, Birmingham UK, and currently operates worldwide as a platform connecting healthcare providers with supplier communities.

The Catalog360 platform is an intuitive web and cloud-based SaaS product that equips customers with the necessary tools to search and compare a breath of products and services from market-leading suppliers at competitive prices. Designed with customers in mind, Catalog360 provides customers with the ability to spend effectively and improve performance by opening up access to a host of public and private healthcare providers.

Leveraging HealthTrust Europe’s experience of achieving best value public and private sector contracts for healthcare providers, the platform contains all of the products and services that HealthTrust Europe has to offer, ensuring that customers benefit from the Quality, Safety, Service and Price guarantees from trusted suppliers.

Using pioneering technology to offer an unparalleled customer experience, the platform is simple to use and is supported by a sleek, high-quality user interface that makes the procurement process simpler and more efficient than ever. Catalog360 allows customers to access our expansive range of products, services and frameworks – all from market-leading suppliers – at the click of a button.

About Pagero

Pagero Group develops and markets Pagero Online, a cloud-based network platform for communication of business documents within the purchase-to-pay (P2P), order-to-cash (O2C) and logistics-to-pay (TMS) processes. Pagero Online is independent of ERP system and suits companies and organisations of all sizes, within all industries.

Our value-added services enable our customers to achieve accurate data and obtain a 100% digital inbound and outbound business document flow, resulting in minimal error handling, compliance with local VAT regulations, government regulations and control over company spend. Pagero Online is an open network with an extensive number of other networks for global reach.

Pagero Group has also specialised in certain verticals where we have domain knowledge, such as healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas, energy, public sector and aviation.

Pagero Group has over 450 employees. It has its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden and offices in Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Dublin, Oberhausen, Amsterdam, Rome, Madrid, Paris, Istanbul, Chicago, Dubai, Bologna, Melbourne, Singapore, Johannesburg, Colombo and Mumbai Read more at www.pagero.com

HealthTrust Europe preparing for Brexit

As the Brexit deadline day approaches and the UK prepares to transition out of the European Union from 1st January 2021, HealthTrust Europe is working to ensure that the best possible care will be delivered for our customers. In order to do this, we are preparing for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, or a non-comprehensive trade deal.

Our work in assessing and preparing for the impact of Brexit on procurement and supply chains has included:

Assess Supplier Risk Profile and Mitigation Activity

  • Having undertaken an extensive due diligence exercise in 2019, HealthTrust Europe is undertaking a further comprehensive due diligence exercise with its supplier base to assess potential risks to continuity of supply for contracted items, taking into account new suppliers and the impact COVID-19 may have had on any previous Brexit contingency plans.
  • HealthTrust Europe’s contracting teams are currently in the process of assessing suppliers as high, medium, or low risk.
  • For suppliers rated as high or medium risk, contracting teams are working with the supplier community to understand contingency plans and are determining the potential to move products and services to lower risk suppliers.
  • In each of these cases, if necessary, HealthTrust Europe is able to leverage our relationship with our parent company in the USA with strategic suppliers to reduce customer risk.

Manage Legal Risk

  • HealthTrust Europe undertook a review of our standard contract terms and conditions addressing the supplier’s obligations relating to continuity of supply of products and services along with compliance to the new GDPR regulations.
  • The contractual approach that HealthTrust Europe has taken to ensure continuity of supply, and provide contractual protection, consists of the following core elements:
    • Pricing – Efforts are being made to ensure continuity of pricing throughout the key Brexit period by fixing pricing for the term of contracts entered into.
    • Delivery – To protect against late delivery, standard terms require suppliers to deliver in accordance with timescales, dates and instructions set out in any specification, tender response, or order.
    • Delivery Costs – To cover off any increased delivery costs, standard terms state suppliers shall be responsible for all costs associated with delivery.
    • Force Majeure – Brexit has been explicitly excluded as a force majeure event in HealthTrust Europe’s standard terms and conditions from October 2018 onwards, with enforcement of this clause being strict.
    • Regulatory Compliance – In the standard HealthTrust Europe terms, suppliers are required to supply all goods and services in accordance with applicable law. Definition of applicable law is wide and includes regulations; to cover any future changes to laws and regulations introduced post-Brexit.

Ensuring that we are Brexit ready and able to continue supporting our valued customers is our priority at this challenging time. If you or your organisation are concerned about the implications of Brexit or have any questions about what it will mean for you, please get in contact with our dedicated customer care teams on 0845 887 5000 or email at customercare@htepg.com.

Our team is on-hand to deal with any customer queries, and we are committed to supporting our customers and partners with solutions to protect staff and patients during these unprecedented times.

HTE is fully prepared to support customers and supplier partners ahead of exit day

After a tumultuous few years following the UK’s decision to exit the European Union in 2016, the agreed departure is in its concluding stages.

The EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill has now passed in both the House of Commons and House of Lords and, having now received Royal Assent, is law. The European Parliament has also approved the withdrawal agreement, – meaning that the UK will be leaving the EU on the 31st of January as promised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Over the last few years, Brexit has caused uncertainty around the future of the NHS for both users of the system and healthcare providers and suppliers.

In response, UK-based healthcare solutions partner HealthTrust Europe (HTE) published a mitigation plan to counter risk from the UK’s proposed exit from the EU back in March 2019. HTE has continued to adapt to the changing nature of the process of Exiting the EU to ensure the continuity of high-quality patient care upon the UK’s EU departure ever since. HTE has worked continuously with suppliers in order to ensure an easy and swift departure from the EU, whilst fully protecting our customers.

The mitigation plan included updated contract terms and conditions, fixed pricing and contractual protections for nearly 300 NHS and commercial health and care providers. HTE also updated its standard contract terms and conditions addressing the supplier’s obligation for continuity of supply of products and services along with compliance to the new GDPR regulations.

HTE is committed to the continued delivery of the highest level of care to patients in our communities through our market-leading solutions in a range of areas. These include ICT solutions, pharmaceutical and diagnostic solutions, purchased services solutions and total workforce solutions.

Commenting on the mitigation plan and updated contract terms, HealthTrust Europe’s Chief Operating Officer, Dale Robinson said:

“We have worked successfully in the face of adversity over the years, motivated by our commitment to the care and improvement of human life.
“From the moment the UK’s exit from the EU was decided, we have been focused on supporting our healthcare provider partners preparing for exit day to ensure smooth delivery of consumables and services.
“We have been ready since exit day in March 2019 with updated contract terms to ensure robust protections for our customers. But that was just step number one – since then our work has focussed to reassure our partners that we are continually offering support and working with our suppliers to ensure continuity of supply of products and services.”

During this transition stage, HTE would like to remind customers that we are here to support them through Brexit and beyond.

Our dedicated Customer Care team are on hand to facilitate concerns and updates. We encourage health and care providers to get in touch by calling 0845 887 5000 or by emailing customercare@htepg.com for any enquiries.

HealthTrust Europe raises thousands for mental health charity Birmingham Mind

Employees at Edgbaston-based HealthTrust Europe have raised an impressive £10,170 for Birmingham Mind, their chosen charity for 2019.

HealthTrust Europe supported the mental health charity as part of the company’s commitment to the care and improvement of human life. Each year, the company selects a new charity to support, with Duchenne UK being selected in 2018.

During 2019, HealthTrust Europe employees put on their best sportswear to participate in the Wolf Run (which includes mud runs, trail runs and obstacle runs), the Birmingham Half Marathon and the Snowdon Trek, which saw employees spend 5 hours climbing to the summit of Mount Snowdon.

Furthermore, colleagues also took part in monthly dress down days, a Christmas Party raffle and not one, but two football matches with office technology supplier AltoDigital.

The efforts of all those involved will have a real life impact as HealthTrust Europe’s donation will assist the charity in establishing a new Helpline for those in the Greater Birmingham area.

Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week. Charities like Birmingham Mind exist to ensure that everyone is enabled to reach their full potential as individuals through services and education which support emotional well-being.

Throughout 2019 18% of the workforce at HealthTrust Europe have also been trained as Mental Health First Aiders, which will enable all colleagues to be in reach of support and help whilst at work.

Dale Robinson, HealthTrust Europe’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement. I’m so proud of all the colleagues who played their part in raising money for such an important cause.

“This wonderful result exemplifies our staff’s generosity which chimes with our mission ‘Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life’ – this includes mental health.”

Birmingham Mind’s Rachel McNair said:

“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone at HealthTrust Europe. This significant donation will assist us in establishing our new Helpline for those in the Greater Birmingham area who seek assistance on a whole range of mental health issues.

“Set to be formally launched later this year, the new Helpline will be run by a dedicated team of people from the Beechcroft Centre, Birmingham Mind’s main Hub in Erdington. Trained staff and volunteers will have access to all the latest information and all calls will be treated in the strictest of confidence. It will initially be open for calls Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.

“This is a much needed service and for the first time Birmingham Mind will be able to offer the people of Birmingham a dedicated advice and help line just for them. We can’t thank the team at HealthTrust Europe enough for this donation, this will make such a difference to the hundreds of individuals who need to access our services.

Birmingham Mind is the largest independent mental health charity providing services in and beyond the City of Birmingham’s boundaries.