Supporting NHS England’s modern slavery agenda through Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT)
As an organisation facilitating millions of pounds of spend through our framework agreements, we are committed to supporting ethical and sustainable procurement across the NHS and wider public sector. We work collaboratively with more than 600 suppliers to help identify and address modern slavery risks across supply chains.
In support of NHS England's modern slavery policy and the requirements of the NHS (Procurement, Slavery and Human Trafficking) Regulations 2025, we’re working in partnership with our suppliers to strengthen transparency across supply chains and help eradicate modern slavery wherever risks may exist.
A key part of this approach is the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT), a government-backed tool that helps organisations access their current practices, identify areas for improvement and develop action plans to strengthen modern slavery risk management.
The new NHS regulations require contracting authorities to assess modern slavery risks before commencing procurement activity and take actionable steps to manage those risks throughout the procurement lifecycle. For medium and high-risk procurements, MSAT is being used to support supplier assessment, contract award and ongoing contract management.
By completing an MSAT, suppliers can demonstrate their commitment to the ongoing mitigation of modern slavery risk, improve supply chain visibility and align with evolving NHS procurement requirements.
We’re committed to supporting NHS England’s ambition to eradicate modern slavery from supply chains. Through collaboration with our suppliers, the promotion of MSAT and the adoption of best practices approaches, we can work together to improve transparency, accountability and positive change across the NHS and public sector supply chain.
For further guidance, please contact our Sustainable Procurement team at ssv@noecpc.nhs.uk.
Further resources:
On demand webinar: For suppliers: Modern slavery regulations for NHS procurement
NHS England Modern Slavery Statement
Review of Risk of Modern Slavery in NHS Supply Chains
PPN 009: Guidance on tackling modern slavery in government supply chains