What are Supply Boards? · Who sits on Supply Boards? · What do Supply Boards do? · Conclusion · Contact

Brian Kelly, director of purchasing, information and electronic commerce at the Northern Ireland Central Services Agency (CSA) Regional Supplies Service, reports on the role and activities of supply boards in Northern Ireland Health and Social Services.

The CSA Regional Supplies Service (RSS) manages expenditure in excess of £300m annually on behalf of the healthcare trusts, boards and agencies in the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services. Prior to the establishment of RSS in the mid-nineties, the supplies function was provided at health board or individual trust level.

A key development in managing supplies issues within the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services has been the evolution of supply boards between CSA RSS and its trust customers. Supply boards address strategic supplies issues, monitor operational performance and foster improved communication between RSS and individual trust customers. By January 2000, supply boards had been established between RSS and all acute, acute/community and community trusts in Northern Ireland.

What are Supply Boards?   [top]

Supply boards exist to:

• Oversee the delivery of supplies arrangements by the RSS, approve annually the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between RSS and individual trusts and monitor performance against SLA criteria.
• Develop a joint procurement strategy and three-year action plan between RSS and individual trusts.
• Act as a forum to ensure good communication is maintained between RSS and trusts where issues, problems, opportunities and developments can be discussed and action taken.

Stephen Hodkinson, chief executive of CSA, has described supply boards as:

"A positive development whereby senior officers in trusts can have confidence in the management of supplies issues and access to supplies expertise."

Joe Lusby, director of business services at Foyle HSS Trust, has stated:

"The Trust views the supply board as an extremely effective mechanism to ensure that the Trust and its provider, RSS, remain focused on the supplies agenda and secure value for money in all related areas of the service."

Who sits on Supply Boards?   [top]

• RSS membership of supply boards comprises:
  • Teresa Molloy, director of regional supplies.
  • Brian Kelly, director of purchasing, information and electronic commerce.
  • Sam Quinn, director of contracting and logistics.
  • Assistant director of purchasing or purchase manager for individual trusts (one of Peter Wilson, Bob McDowell, Anne Martin, Sandra Armstrong, Mona Treanor or Eamomn Lynch).
• Trust membership of supply boards comprises typically:
  • Trust director of finance.
  • Trust director of business services, corporate affairs or operational support.
  • Trust clinical, medical or community representative (usually director, assistant director or directorate manager).

The majority of supply boards are a one-to-one relationship between RSS as service provider and the individual customer trust, but there are two consortia models in place also, where trusts which have co-operated on other healthcare and business issues have found benefits in collaborating on supplies issues.

One such consortium is the Sperrin Lakeland Health and Social Care Trust/Foyle HSS Trust Supply Board with RSS. Gerry McLaughlin, director of human resources and operation services, Sperrin Lakeland, believes the consortium supply board "... provides an opportunity to maintain and improve relationships with RSS and the trust and ensure that key supplies issues are attended to on a regular basis."

What do Supply Boards do?   [top]

Supply boards enable a focus on both general areas of supplies good practice and issues of local concern. The management framework is underpinned by agreed terms of reference: SLAs, a joint procurement strategy and a three-year action plan. The aim is to have a framework that is sensitive to local needs and priorities, but which is consistent in addressing strategic and operational issues.

Key areas managed by supply boards in the last 12 months have included:

• Development of joint procurement strategies and action plans.
• Agreement and implementation of standard key performance indicators.
• Improved product selection via RSS Regional Contracting, RSS Local Contracting and RSS aggregation via buyers' clubs.
• Development and launch of Good Practice Guides (addressing procurement issues, procurement advice and probity for staff within trusts).
• Development and implementation of electronic commerce and other supply chain solutions (including purchasing cards, radio frequency materials management and supplier partnerships).
• Review and response in relation to public sector or health sector procurement reviews (e.g. NHS Procurement Review, Gershon Report, Northern Ireland DFP Public Sector Procurement Review).

Paul McBrearty, director of corporate affairs for Down Lisburn Trust, commented:

"The supply boards have proved to be an excellent vehicle for reviewing strategic issues relating to the supplies function. In particular, the three-year action plan sets targets and acts as a discipline in ensuring regular review and feedback to our senior management team."

In a similar vein, Jim Symington, director of corporate services at Ulster Community Hospitals Trust, reflected that:

"The supply board has assured a formal and uniform approach to key areas which had not previously been addressed, for example, we now have a robust procurement strategy in place."

Conclusion   [top]

Supply boards have enabled both a strategic and operational focus on supplies issues, ensuring optimum performance and facilitating innovation and best practice within resource constraints.

Teresa Molloy, director of regional supplies, welcomes the ability to have consistent reporting mechanisms and standards, stating further that:

"Supply boards have allowed RSS as a regional service provider to develop uniform and agreed performance measurement standards with our trust customers, whilst also enabling increased collaboration in sharing areas of good practice, opportunities for aggregation and benchmarking."

Ultimately, however, the continued enthusiasm and participation of trusts are vital, and the challenge for all supply boards is to embrace dynamic and often challenging alternatives to traditional methods of service provision.

Eleanor Hayes, director of patient services at Green Park Healthcare Trusts, has concluded:

"The supply board has played a pivotal role in enhancing collaboration between Green Park Healthcare Trust and RSS. This, ultimately, can only improve the service we all endeavour to provide for our patients."

Brian Kelly   [top]
Director of Purchasing, Information and Electronic Commerce
CSA Regional Supplies Service
Supplies Distribution Centre
77 Boucher Crescent
Belfast
BT12 6HU
Tel: 028 9066 7788
Fax: 028 9066 8989

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