Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the participation of SMEs in the NHS supply chain; and whether he plans to introduce measures to reduce barriers to entry for SMEs in NHS procurement processes.

Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) have a vital role to play in supporting our health service to deliver on its priorities for patients and staff.

NHS England is committed to improving its engagement with SME suppliers and helping to make it easier for them to do business with the National Health Service. To help ensure SMEs have a voice within the NHS, NHS England has established an SME Advisory Group, which has worked with NHS England to improve the opportunities for SMEs to engage with and compete for NHS business.

In February 2024, NHS England published an SME action plan that outlines how the NHS will better engage, communicate with and learn from the SME community, improve visibility of NHS opportunities and encourage SME participation in commercial activity. The plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/small-and-medium-enterprises-action-plan