Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure consistency in the interpretation of the concept of value-based procurement in purchasing items in the health and social care sector; whether they intend to produce and publish a clearer tool for the assessment of such value based procurement; and whether patient groups and manufacturers of (1) medical devices, and (2) absorbent continence products, will be involved in the development of any such tool.

NHS Supply Chain has a value based procurement programme with a standard approach and principles in place to build a consistent interpretation of the concept of value based procurement. There are 30 projects across the organisation’s categories which are in scope for NHS Supply Chain’s pipeline for value-based procurement. NHS Supply Chain continues to work closely with NHS England on a joint evaluation approach.

NHS Supply Chain is running two value-based procurement projects specifically in the continence category area, which encompasses absorbent continence products. The relevant NHS organisations and suppliers are involved in the development of these projects to ensure that the outcomes fit the NHS’s requirements. These projects are following the standard approach and principles as outlined on NHS Supply Chain’s website.

The Department’s Medical Technology Directorate is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to implement a consistent methodology for value-based procurement to be adopted at a national and local level. The directorate will continue to engage with both industry and patients in the development of this and other policies.