LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT
“ There are four pieces of advice I give to those early in their procurement journey ,” she says . “ These are to take risks , to be curious and to always remember that relationships are everything . You need to foster these and stay in touch with your contacts . She adds that hard work is also key . “ It might seem simple to say , but it ’ s taken me 40 years to get where I am today , and I ’ ve done so by never taking my foot off the gas .
Changes on horizon for NHS procurement Looking to the future , Rock sees changes on the horizon for procurement in the NHS .
“ We ’ re expecting the introduction of the Procurement Act in October 2024 , which will transform the way we procure in the NHS ,” she says . “ This is a once-in-ageneration opportunity to fundamentally change NHS commercial behaviours and deliver market-led value .”
She adds : “ The Act gives us the commercial flexibility needed to innovate in our most challenging supplier markets , and to find new ways of making high-value deals for the NHS in our most complex categories .
Rock explains that this will “ necessitate significant changes to NHS procurement practices ”, adding : “ We ’ re supporting the NHS commercial community to prepare for this , so that we can make the most of it , and I can see it making a real difference over the next five to 10 years .”
Rock also points out that AI and MedTech “ is the future of patient care ”. She says : “ The first AI technologies
“ The NHS Central Commercial Function is a key milestone that allows us to bring significant benefits to the taxpayer ”
were approved for use on the NHS in August , with nine different programmes recommended for use in treating cancer patients with radiotherapy .
“ Scores more are being used in clinical trials , for everything from assessing brain damage to stroke patients to analysing blood flow through hearts of patients with coronary conditions .
“ I see procurement playing a huge role in how these cutting-edge technologies are rolled out . Innovation and AI pathways are in development currently , to ensure that we are bringing innovation into the NHS , and commercial is an intrinsic part of the design .
“ We have committed and made progress to streamline the way in which MedTech is assessed , assured , procured and rolled out , so that products can reach the frontline and our patients at speed and at scale .”
26 May 2024