Combined buying for NHS practices
New scheme aims to give dentists more buying clout
A new NHS Scotland-run procurement scheme is being launched to help participating dentists cut costs and save money on dental products.
Denpro aims to combine the buying power of up to 400 participating practices and negotiate better deals. The scheme will initially focus on general hygiene and safety products, instruments, impression materials, cements and general consumables. If it proves successful, then the scheme could be extended to include other products.
Paul Cushley, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) director of dentistry said: “This is an excellent opportunity for dentists to get greater clout in terms of buying power and drive down the cost of the products they use.
“When we consulted on the scheme earlier in the year, it was very popular. We are already assessing the best prices from all the major dental suppliers and would like to have as many NHS practices ready to participate to help our leverage when negotiating with the dental suppliers on behalf of the NHS.”
And Jim Miller, NHS NSS director of strategic sourcing said: “We already manage around 300 collaborative purchasing solutions on behalf of NHSScotland worth about £1.3 billion a year, so we are well placed to offer this new service.”
NHS NSS say the benefits of the service are expected to include:
• Lower practice running costs
• Quicker ordering • Securing authenticated dental products
• A powerful and detailed suite of management information on product use, range, patterns and alternatives.
• Less variability of product use across practices, supporting the patient safety programme
• A natural grouping of practices working in a collaborative way, opening opportunities for further collaborative activity, such as product development or CPD activity.
A series of roadshows has been organised to explain the scheme and to sign up practices before a supply partner is sourced from the industry.
The dates for the roadshows are as follows:
4 September – NSS Headquarters, Gyle Square, Edinburgh
7 September – Mercure Hotel, Perth
10 September – Thistle Hotel, Aberdeen
14 September – NSS Offices, Cadogan Street, Glasgow
16 September – Apex Hotel, Dundee
17 September – Holiday Inn, Dumfries
21 September – Mercure Hotel, Inverness
22 September – Thistle Hotel, Glasgow
24 September – NSS Headquarters, Gyle Square, Edinburgh
Anyone intersted in attending should contact Marie-Claire O’Neill on 01698 794 400, or email nss.denpro@nhs.net
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