Looking back: Keith's End of Year Message
Our Managing Director, Keith Rowley, takes a look back at what has been a busy year across the procurement landscape.
And so here we are, reflecting on another year. I'm conscious that it's been another 12 months of relentless financial pressure and expectation. I don't want to gloss over that but as I look back across 2025 and all that we have wrestled with, some we've overcome others remain ongoing, I'd like to thank you for your continued support.
As the team here work closely with you I see real highlights and the positive trajectory we are progressing towards. We've been able to deliver a £1.6m rebate to our membership and to support project delivery at a local level. Where your teams are trying to manage the Cost Improvement Programme pressures we have been able to provide expertise and resource.
We published our Annual Review in the summer with further details of the savings achieved and showcasing the opportunities available through working with our teams.
A real highlight for us in 2025 has been the NHS Healthcare Uniforms project gaining momentum. Across England the uniform has now been adopted by 16 trusts, with a further 14 signing up to implement it in the near future. This has been an enormous achievement for our Facilities and Office Solutions team. You can read about how well it has been received in the Nursing Standard article. The team have also been involved in the ground-breaking 'Pee in Pot' (PiP) sustainable innovation, testament to the expertise and tenacity of the team.
We have continued to work with our partners across procurement, particularly NHS LPP to share agreements and collaborate to deliver the best service to our members. Effective partnership working, avoiding duplication and sharing resource continues to be our best route through the financial challenges across the procurement community.
This is particularly evident in the success of NHS Workforce Alliance, our collaboration with the other procurement hubs and Crown Commercial Service. This year we have seen a significant reduction in spend for our customers in temp staffing as we've helped them apply national policy, while also implementing bank arrangements and alternative methods for staffing delivery. In the New Year we will be focusing on our HR and Workforce category, spotlighting the team and offering you the chance to find out more in our #TeamTalk campaign.
As the end of another financially tough year looms large I hope many of you can use the festive period as an opportunity to take a break. Time with family and friends cannot be underestimated, those little moments together really do make a difference to restoring our wellbeing.
We are here to support you. From my team to yours, best wishes for the festive period and we look forward to our continued collaboration and engagement in the coming year.