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NHS procurement has just about come full circle. It is 16 years since the procurement and supply chain functions that had been part of services managed by the NHS Business Services Authority and NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency were first outsourced.

DHL first took on the job. Then the “future operating model” split it into 11 contracts covering different categories that were outsourced, with overall management transferred to a new company, Supply Chain Coordination Ltd, then wholly owned by the health secretary.

That operating model is the zenith of procurement outsourcing, in the current cycle at least. In April, NHSSC told HSJ that the model was to be replaced by a new one in which those 11 categories were reorganised and condensed to five, with management of three brought in-house.

Now after several months of the procurement process NHSSC’s has changed course; from May 2023 all but one category will be brought back in-house. Non-clinical products, such as office supplies, and food will still be outsourced.

Procurement folk have welcomed the move in principle although there is concern that insourcing so much will be onerous and detract from the very real challenges of dealing with the crushing pressure on supply chains.

Pensioners are at the sharp end of mistake

HSJ has revealed that NHSE is investigating a “potential serious incident” relating to its flu programme and an unknown number of people aged 65 and over who were given the wrong jab. 

While receiving the QIVe jab, known to be ineffective for the 65-plus age group, will do no harm in itself, a person in this age group could well come to harm if they caught flu. It is therefore critical that all the patients who got the wrong jab get properly vaccinated as quickly as possible.

NHS England, however, sought to play down the errors. It claimed that only a “small number of patients” were affected and the issue was “mainly” one of data recording errors.

With the investigation only launched last week, it seems surprising NHSE has completed all lines of enquiry already. But even if we give NHSE the benefit of the doubt, it would be only right that system leaders publicly acknowledged the fault to help ensure all those affected get another jab.  

Also on hsj.co.uk today

In this week’s Mental Health Matters, Emily Townsend reports on the failures in inpatient mental healthcare – hospitals, homes, units and wards – that have come to light in recent weeks. And in news, an acute trust has been served with a warning notice by the Care Quality Commission after inspectors found patients were “being restricted… unlawfully”.