Category: Case Studies

Background: 

The South West London Acute Provider Collaborative is a partnership between four acute NHS trusts in South West London: St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, and Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The collaborative aims to improve clinical outcomes, reduce health inequalities, and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of healthcare services.

Prior to performing the work presented in this case study, HealthTrust Europe worked with the South West London Acute Provider Collaborative on two engagements:

 1^st Engagement: Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals:

• Both facilities were interested in orthotics services.

2^nd  Engagement: Onboarding Croydon University Hospital Contract:

• Impressed by HealthTrust Europe’s performance, the Category Lead requested similar support for Croydon University Hospital, whereby HealthTrust Europe facilitated a call-off contract for orthotics services at Croydon University Hospital, aligning with the patient mobility framework.

Sourcing Activity Support and Results:

• HealthTrust Europe’s comprehensive approach included engaging vendors, managing all aspects of contract negotiations, including back-and-forth communication, drafting, and finalising terms.
• HealthTrust Europe facilitated final agreement and obtained contract signatures from all stakeholders.
• HealthTrust Europe ensured contract compliance and efficient contract management.
• This streamlined process eased the contact person’s burden, allowing them to focus on strategic priorities.

Situation: 

HealthTrust Europe’s successful management of the initial contracts built a strong foundation of trust and strategic relations with the South West London Acute Provider Collaborative. In early 2023, HealthTrust Europe began collaborating with St George’s University Hospital NHS Trust, a large healthcare facility with an extensive Prosthetics and Orthotics service. The Trust specialises in complex rehabilitation problems for patients with musculoskeletal, degenerative, and/or neuromuscular issues. The Trust has been named a Veteran Aware Trust, demonstrating their commitment to improving NHS care for veterans, reservists, members of the armed forces, and their families. The Trust’s Prosthetic profile includes around 4,000 people, 12 of whom are veterans, and their Orthotic profile includes around 22,000 people.

Task: 

The Category Lead for Diagnostics, Women’s, Children’s, and Therapies approached HealthTrust Europe to establish a compliant contract under Patient Mobility framework agreement. The primary objective was to enable the customer to operate a self-sufficient and effective service. HealthTrust Europe focused on streamlining the sourcing process to ensure a contract that delivered cost-effectiveness, adherence to regulations and maximises the mobility, independence and quality of life of service users.

Sourcing Activity Support: St George’s Mini Competition:

• HealthTrust Europe conducted a full mini competition, aiming to secure a single provider of orthotics, prosthetics, and specialised seating services to be delivered at Queen Mary’s Hospitals in Roehampton.
• HealthTrust Europe assisted the Trust in developing a specification that was fit for purpose to rectify scope creep in the existing contract.
• HealthTrust Europe supported the Trust in tender pack preparation including qualitative and commercial assessment models and Tender guidance drafting.
• The competition was hosted on HealthTrust Europe’s e-sourcing tool, Jaggaer, where HealthTrust Europe managed clarifications questions raised by potential suppliers.
• HealthTrust Europe supported the Trust with the evaluation including written responses, commercial assessment and presentation days.
• Following evaluation, HealthTrust Europe compiled an award recommendation report to assist the Trust in obtaining Board approvals to award.
• Upon approval, HealthTrust Europe drafted final contracts and completed other administrative tasks efficiently, attended implementation meetings, where we empowered the customer to manage their responsibilities autonomously and focus on critical areas of the new service.

Result:

• St George’s influenceable service costs were reduced from £4.2m to £3.7m per year, achieving savings of 11.32% per annum. HealthTrust Europe’s collaboration with St George’s demonstrated their commitment to effective sourcing and contract management.
• Social value was a key consideration, with a minimum 10% weighting applied (as mandated by NHSE).
• The smooth facilitation of streamlined processes allowed the Category Lead to navigate and resolve complex and challenging negotiations, leading to a positive outcome.
• HealthTrust Europe ensured the accuracy of data and figures by quality-checking the information provided by the incumbent supplier.
• The successful completion of the Mini Competition and the savings achieved marked another milestone in our partnership.

The Category Lead for Diagnostics, Women’s, Children’s, and Therapies said:

“The results of the Prosthetics and Orthotics tender speak for themselves with significant savings and a new streamlined service. Throughout the procurement process, HealthTrust Europe demonstrated professionalism and expertise and have continued in their support during post-award negotiations. We would not have achieved as much as we have without HealthTrust Europe, and I offer my personal thanks to the team.”

 

Background

Since 2015, South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST) has provided its 6,000 staff access to NHS Fleet Solutions (NHS FS) car salary sacrifice schemes. In February 2024, SWAST called off NHS FS’s two salary sacrifice schemes via direct awards—Fleet through Lot 2, and Home Electronics Lot 1b—of HealthTrust Europe’s (HTE’s) Flexible Employee Benefits, Personal Vehicle Leasing & Financial Wellbeing 2022 Framework, for four years.

Challenge

SWAST aimed to provide its employees with attractive and practical benefits while managing administrative burdens and ensuring environmental sustainability. The challenge was to transition the fleet to ultra-low emission vehicles and offer comprehensive benefits that would enhance employee satisfaction and wellbeing.

Solution

• Guaranteed surplus retention for every car ordered.
• A range of scheme features and protections which reduce risk and administration.
• Continuity of support in key roles, with many of the supplier’s staff having over 10 years of NHS service.
• Special Offer deals with particularly short delivery lead-times.
• Option to add a home charging point to EV orders, saving in income tax and National Insurance.
• £150 damage waiver at the end of the lease contract.
• SWAST decided to pay the reserve mileage rate for using the salary sacrifice lease car for business use, helping cover employees for any excess mileage due at the end of the contract.

For the Home Electronics Scheme:

Staff using the scheme on average are ordering two products per order at a value of £650, providing convenient access to essential household items, the latest wearable and mobile technologies, and other innovative products used around the home.

The Result

• As of March 2025, SWAST has 309 cars on the road with 33 more on order.
• The fleet profile has increasingly transitioned to ultra-low emission vehicles, with 94% of orders now in this category.
• Employees benefit from attractive offers, reduced tax and National Insurance, and additional protections such as the damage waiver.
• The Home Electronics scheme has been well-received, with staff ordering valuable and innovative products.

The partnership between SWAST and NHS FS exemplifies the successful implementation of HTE’s Flexible Employee Benefits Framework. By offering a range of attractive benefits and support, both SWAST and NHS FS have enhanced employee satisfaction and wellbeing. This collaboration highlights the importance of innovative and flexible employee benefits in fostering a positive and productive work environment. HTE’s Framework continues to be a valuable resource for organisations seeking to provide their staff with comprehensive and practical benefits.

Situation

HealthTrust Europe (HTE) worked closely with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust to identify capable suppliers through Lot 1b (International Recruitment) of Total Workforce Solutions II (TWS II) to support the Trust’s programme to recruit a high volume of doctors. The pre-existing quality, assurance and value terms of the framework provided the Trust with a simple, free-to-access, compliant route to market, whilst HTE’s  extensive category expertise supported with supplier engagement in meeting tight turnaround timelines to support on-time delivery of the project.

Challenge 

As the UK’s largest NHS Hospital Trust, Manchester University NHSFT (MFT) must be strategic to avoid unnecessary locum use, especially when recruiting in the context of the current UK healthcare staffing crisis. The TWS II International Permanent Recruitment Framework is NHSE&I approved and provides access to a range of cross discipline and specialist suppliers to work in partnership with healthcare providers. Through this agreement, the Trust was able to select a partner for this project to deliver their requirements. The Trust engaged in a full workforce planning project, supported by the selected supplier (Remedium) and found a need to recruit permanent doctors en masse to meet future demand ahead of the doctor changeover in August. MFT then challenged the supplier to run a recruitment project to meet future demand, whilst adhering to the code of practice for international recruitment of health and social care personnel.

Solution

Utilising the TWS Framework, MFT gained access to valuable recruitment project support, including HTE’s expert category guidance and insight. HTE facilitated a procurement exercise to evaluate potential suppliers and identify the best value proposition. Following the supplier selection, we drafted a contract that included transparent pricing, quality benchmarks, with performance terms and conditions. To guarantee the success of the project, MFT received ongoing contract management support, ensuring that all parties involved adhered to the agreed-upon terms and objectives.

Remedium implemented a face-to-face international recruitment drive in Mumbai. By opting for a face-to-face project, MFT benefitted from the International presence provided by Remedium’s Mumbai office. They were able to mitigate many hiring risks by meeting candidates in person and ensured ethical recruitment practices by meeting the heads of department at Indian partner hospitals. This meant MFT better understood the motives and culture of their prospective candidates and was therefore able to provide a far more mutually aligned offer of employment.

The Result

The international recruitment sessions were extremely well received by candidates and 80 permanent doctors were recruited as a result of adopting this approach. MFT is extremely happy with the results and is already planning the next trip.

“Our international project with Remedium exceeded all expectations, we are delighted to welcome 80 doctors to MFT.”  

Samantha Stretch
Head of Medical and Dental Resourcing, MFT

 

“We have really enjoyed our visit to India. We have met a lot of very enthusiastic doctors who want to work in Manchester and especially in our organisation.”

Dr. Sujesh Bansal
Consultant Anaesthetist International
Fellowship Director and Director of Medical Education, MFT

To find out how Total Workforce solutions at HealthTrust Europe can help you contact customercare@htepg.com or 0845 887 5000 

Situation

Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Trusts (C&M) have held a consortium contract for clinical waste with HealthTrust Europe (HTE) for approximately 9 years. In 2017, HTE commenced discussions with the consortium members to embark on a mini-competition procurement process for the renewal of their clinical waste contract.

HTE project managed and ran the procurement process over 10 months. Initially the requirement was for a sole supplier to provide clinical waste services to 13 NHS Authorities in the region for Acute, Mental Health Specialist and Community healthcare. Due to new hospitals being built in the region there was an additional requirement for Authorities to join the contract at varying times when services were needed. The awarded contract secured a further 3 years of supply at a cost neutral position for each member. The members retained the same pricing for an 8-year term and Key Performance Indicators were introduced which were fully aligned with all member requirements.

Challenge

In recent years there has been an increase in the volume of clinical waste being produced. During the last 18 to 24 months, unforeseen issues in the supplier market, coupled with the effects of Brexit and the pandemic have resulted in:

• An increase in waste (in particular incinerated waste)
• A lack of infrastructure investment
• Intense competition for drivers due to decreased availability
• Missed collections leading to the build-up of waste at hospital sites

To address these challenges, the Chief Executives of the Trusts within the Cluster required a market review of the contract, so invited HTE to submit a proposal.

Solution

HTE recommended introducing a new contract offering 2 separate solutions – Lot 1 for Acute Trusts and Lot 2 for Mental Health and Community Trusts. This allowed the service requirements of each group to be catered for and removed the restrictions of the current framework agreement in relation to award structure and awarded suppliers. All suitable potential suppliers in the market, including new entrants, could then bid for the two contracts. We recognised that, whilst each Authority had specific, individual requirements, there is a strong open relationship between them all, and a requirement to be treated as one organisation.

HTE advertised the opportunity to potential suppliers through a Prior Interest Notification (PIN) as part of the pre-market engagement exercise prior to releasing a tender. This provided visibility of the requirements and timescales to suppliers, enabling them to make informed recommendations and propose possible solutions prior to final requirements being set. This approach ensured the consortium received proposals from the most suitable suppliers and reduced clarification requests during the process. HTE and stakeholders from the Cluster presented to several suppliers who had expressed interest, inviting their feedback on the tender structure.

Result

Following a Pre-Market Engagement meeting with suppliers, HTE representatives engaged in regular dialogue with the nominated stakeholder group for the Cluster. Tender documentation was drafted and provided to stakeholders for review, ensuring it represented their requirements. As part of our commitment to driving better services through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and SME strategies, the C&M Social Value requirements were adopted within the tender requirements.

HTE managed the tender process and evaluated the commercial elements of the bids. The Trust Members evaluated the technical elements and moderation sessions were held to conclude the scoring. The awarded suppliers from this process are Stericycle for Lot 1 and Sharpsmart for Lot 2. Implementation will take place during Q2, 2022. HTE will support the Trusts and awarded suppliers to ensure a smooth transition to the new contract. This includes the agreement of new KPIs, onboarding the new supplier (Sharpsmart) and refreshing the service offering provided by the incumbent supplier (Stericycle) to align with the new contract.

 

For more information, contact our Customer Care Team on 0845 887 5000 or email customercare@htepg.com

Situation

A working group of thirteen like-minded NHS organisations in the West Midlands wanted to work together to develop regional controls and to drive their locum staffing costs down. The healthcare providers had established relationships with HealthTrust Europe (HTE) as a framework partner that had helped them source local temporary staffing solutions with high quality patient care at the heart. In connection with the project, the healthcare providers set out to secure a reduction in agency spend whilst delivering a range of successful outcomes to reduce cost, support patient services and enhance safe staffing.

Challenge

The West Midlands had a high vacancy rate for medical roles and a high spend on medical locums through agency suppliers. Wider workforce strategies were needed to improve the reduction in vacancies. There was a clear need for robust contracting and enhanced management of agency suppliers to control spend and for stakeholders to work more collaboratively to improve data visibility, quality and price.

Each Trust individually managed their own medical agency expenditure as a silo, engaging suppliers with different commercial terms and approaches to releasing shifts. Agency suppliers had an advantage in being able to engage Trusts in silo with limited controls on commissions and no controls on performance management.

A wider set of drivers (workforce planning issues, high vacancy rates, access to rostering and bank uptake) led to an environment where Trusts had less influence and paid an increased rate and commission in the process of engaging medical locums.. The competition for talent within the silos drove rates up, with Trusts less likely to engage collaboratively with regional peers to discuss local pressures or concerns.

HTE had previously worked closely with the regional Trusts and recommended a collaborative approach that would benefit the Trusts by controlling commissions, targeting market rate adherence, unifying contract terms and setting up more regular performance management to hold the supply chain to account.

Solution

HTE’s Total Workforce Solutions (TWS) team held talks with the healthcare providers and facilitated the collaborative working to tackle the problem. The group had an annualised spend of more than £42m on medical agency covering a total of 513,014 hours of supply. Organisational commitment from all parties was vital to ensure the project’s success and due to sheer geographical size, it took focus to establish the collaboration. The executive project sponsorship from HR and the commitment of steering group members were instrumental in promoting the approach.

The basis of the collaboration was to encourage the healthcare providers to develop a temporary workforce strategy which would see them combining their spend, using the same preferred supplier list (PSL), and working together to reduce costs across the region through effective performance management of suppliers. The TWS team liaised with the healthcare providers through the steering group to work together on an agency spend reduction plan. On a regular basis the healthcare providers shared their data, experience and knowledge to promote good practice between NHS organisations and target key deliverables that drive best value (quality, safety, service and price) outcomes.

This regular data sharing enabled HTE to conduct in-depth analysis and produce a balanced scorecard detailing information which highlighted the best performing supplier, average rate profiles, average rate per Trust and fill rate per provider to create a level playing field. This enabled providers and HTE to see where the healthcare providers were spending their budget and which areas were hard to fill, such as grade of doctor, specific shifts, and the percentage of shifts being filled by suppliers so that actions could be focused on specific target metrics.

 

 

The scope of the project was further widened from 6 members with circa £42m spend to 13 members with circa £95m spend, enhancing the leverage available. Collaboration and consistency eliminated the competition between NHS organisations which had previously been advantaging the suppliers and agency workers, giving healthcare providers access to key data and performance metrics to make effective sourcing decisions.

During the first three to four months the new strategy and rate card were adopted, and all relevant staff were made aware of the key contract terms and conditions. The healthcare providers had consistent access to HTE which offered hands on support and encouraged transparent working (including short term focused support for healthcare providers experiencing supply chain difficulties in adopting new practices). HTE arranged monthly ‘project health checks’ to mediate any issues and provide support to align to the new contract terms and process. Operating as a bridge between healthcare providers and suppliers, HTE had direct access to account managers and senior board stakeholders within the supply chain to support with any urgent issues the healthcare providers had and to ensure focus on the project deliverables.

Quality was enhanced by the provision of on-going monitoring of supplier performance which continually collected spend data from healthcare providers, direct engagement providers and the suppliers to capture a true, evidence-based reflection of performance across the region. This data was collected, monitored and fed back to healthcare providers regularly in the form of the balanced scorecard which was built to include all relevant metrics as requested by the participating Trusts.

Pricing was developed using an evidence based commercial strategy to drive reductions and savings, measuring key metrics effectively to allow operational and executive stakeholders to monitor project progress and successes. Where needed, healthcare providers used the collaboration to help fill shifts they found difficult to meet. HTE was able to, and continues to, act as a mediator to assist with rate negotiation, ensuring best value, and also as an ad hoc recruiter, assisting healthcare providers from time to time with hard to fill shifts.

 

 

Result

With support from HTE for the West Midlands medical agency project, the NHS has succeeded in its move towards collaborative working throughout the UK to help improve spend leverage, communication and create greater consistency within the temporary staffing market.

As a result of the collaboration between the healthcare providers, stakeholder cooperation and the partnership of HTE’s supplier community, cost reductions of more than £675,000 a year (during the NHS financial year of 2018-2019) were achieved by the healthcare providers including a 24% reduction in supplier commission rates and a marked reduction in average Total Charge Rates across key specialties and grades of medical locums.

Senior stakeholders were engaged through HR networks to expand the group to thirteen providers in November 2019, further strengthening the leverage of the healthcare providers and scope of the agreement to deliver benefits to the Acute Sector of the NHS across the Midlands.

The success of the NHS collaboration with HTE is on-going; HTE will be working on a renewal project in the 2022/23 financial year to support healthcare providers with navigating the latest market conditions and challenges.

For more information, contact our Customer Care Team on 0845 887 5000 or email customercare@htepg.com