End of 2024 blog: Reflections from our Managing Director

Lee Joseph, Managing Director at NHS LPP, looks back on the past 12 months of his first year in the role permanently.

2024 was always going to be an interesting year for me professionally as my first full year as Managing Director at NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP). My aim was to put my own stamp on things for the benefit of our NHS LPP team, the business as a whole and for our members and customers using our services.

I believe that we have largely delivered on key commitments which were set out at the beginning of the year. Our ‘North Star’ for the year has been helping trusts deliver savings and I am pleased to say that whatever else we have or have not achieved this year, we have not waivered from our commitment to savings delivery.

Strength in collaboration

This year, we established the NHS Procurement Alliance – a collaboration between NHS LPP and NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) – to remove duplication and market fragmentation while adding consistency and delivering best value to our NHS colleagues. Our alliance combines customers’ access to the products and services across both organisations. Collectively we have an extensive portfolio of frameworks across Technology (ICT), Estates and Facilities Management, Business and Corporate Services, Healthcare Services and Pharmacy, HR and People.

The two organisations have always had a strong relationship but ultimately, the newly-formed alliance is allowing us to further support the enhancement of patient experiences by ensuring access to efficient and cost-effective procurement solutions. I am pleased with the progress and feel that we are well placed to excel alongside NOE CPC in 2025. We are collectively seeing double digit growth, the bond between the organisations has grown, members are benefitting from an enhanced and less fragmented offer and we are now in the process of hiring our first dedicated NHS Procurement Alliance team members. The old cliché is true, together we are stronger.

Relationships with other organisations continue to enhance too, as is evidenced through cases like the mobile data audit that involved Crown Commercial Service, NOE CPC, NHS England and ourselves working together. In the year ahead, we will continue to explore potential alliances where the acid test will remain that if the patient and the NHS could benefit from an affiliation then we will try and make it happen.

Presence

One of the things I am most pleased with when looking back on 2024 is how NHS LPP is viewed externally. While we know that there is a lot more work for us to do in order to make all of our customers happy – and to that end we have been working hard on analysing the feedback of our most recent customer satisfaction survey – we’re off to a great start.

We are now an integral procurement partner to the national new hospital programme. Critically, we are advising that system on a range of areas from across our portfolio which means several of our teams are getting exposure to numerous government departments that we didn’t have before.

In terms of external award recognition, we are proud to have been nominated and shortlisted for numerous awards with several wins including in the areas of social value and workforce collaboration. This has included award success at the HCSA Awards 2024 in November, being part of a HSJ award winning project and success at the HCSA Excellence in Supply Awards back in April. 

This award success, along with our representation at key conferences and holding more NHS LPP-led member forums than ever before to help trusts collaborate together through us as a facilitative intermediary, has meant that our brand exposure has multiplied across the NHS landscape. One measure of this success is the amount of referred enquiries we have received this year. Many people want to work with us, particularly when they need complex or expert advice. Our brand is even growing internationally - in the past six months we have been approached by multiple overseas entities who are seeking our support. I cannot help but believe that this bodes well for the future.

This increased brand exposure has provided us the platform to showcase that NHS LPP is a desirable place to work. For another year/cohort running, we have welcomed Procurement Graduates as well as those taking industry years at university. We know that offering a diverse range of job routes enables us to welcome the very best talent.

This year, we were also thrilled to have achieved the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) Standard at the first attempt. This is a real achievement and positive reflection on our working culture which we don’t take for granted. As a staff group, we have also organised a number of charity initiatives, including most recently holding quiz and bake sale evening to raise funds for Evelina Children’s Hospital.

Building for the future

2024 has been labelled by some as the ‘year of procurement’ or at least the year of procurement change.

As an organisation, we have invested heavily to be in front of all the changes being implemented soon, including:  

• Adoption of the cabinet office spend control process. We were the first NHS organisation to get spend control sign off on a contract. Since then, more have followed and we have a pipeline of contracts going through the process
• Procurement Act 2023 implementation:

- At the time of writing, we have put over 120 employees of our members through a comprehensive training programme. By the end of January that number will be c.300

- 100% of NHS LPP’s staff who have been with us since the start of 2024 have completed the nine modules and assessment; that’s more than 1500 hours of staff training on completed on this area alone

• Approval and adherence to the new within 2024 Central Commercial Function framework accreditation programme.

None of these things were particularly easy to embed, but I thank our staff for persevering. I know that delivering on these commitments prepares us all for the future and enables our team to provide the best possible service.

In 2024, we have promoted a number of team members from within the organisation – recognising the importance of investing in our staff and growing their skills and talent. It is gratifying for me when we are able to promote from within and to know that we are cultivating the future leaders of the organisation. Congratulations to all involved.

As I close my reflections for this year, it just leaves me with three things to say. Firstly, I cannot claim that 2025 will be easy; it won’t be. That said, I can tell you that I am convinced that we are very well placed to succeed.

Secondly, if you can, I would encourage our NHS LPP staff and wider partners to take a moment to reflect on the year and the progress that you have made. Yes, at times it has been hectic and maybe even uncomfortable, but you have taken what has come our way and navigated it expertly and with pride.

Thirdly, and most importantly, I hope you have a restful holiday period, however you are marking it, and I look forward to supporting all of our stakeholders – whether staff, partners, members, or customers, as we move into 2025.