#TeamTalk: Innovation and Strategy Focus
Welcome to the July edition of the NOE CPC customer newsletter and the latest update in our #TeamTalk series where we put a spotlight on the teams that make up NOE CPC.
This month we’re focusing on our Cleaning, Janitorial and Paper Hygiene team, who manage a range of products, stakeholder relationship management and innovations to the NHS market.
We sat down with Clive Stoneham, Senior Category Manager to talk about the diverse scope of his category, sustainability benefits of closed loop recycling and his strategic vision for the future.
As Senior Category Manager, I oversee a category that spans over 25,000 product codes, an annual spend of £85 million, and a supplier base of around 120. It’s a broad and dynamic area that includes everything from domestic cleaning products to those used in operating theatres, environmental decontamination, water purification, and even our Medical Healthcare Furniture framework.
With NHS budgets under increasing pressure and sustainability becoming ever more critical, I’m constantly evolving our category strategy to stay ahead. We’re exploring initiatives like reducing couch roll usage and implementing closed-loop recycling for items such as hand towels, dispensers, and mop buckets.
Innovation is a key focus for us and using the experience of our suppliers and understanding the challenges our customers face, and where we can help with innovation solutions is a key area of category development. One project I’m particularly excited about is a prototype for a universal hand towel roll dispenser — designed so that any supplier’s product can be used. We’re currently looking for trusts to trial this on site, so if you’re interested, please do get in touch.
Strong relationships with both customers and suppliers are essential to what we do. Their insights help shape our future strategies. We’re working closely with the Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals and have recently set up a customer group to explore the next phase of our chlorine offering. We’re also planning to resume our healthcare furniture supplier engagement group soon.
I’m proud of the blend of experience and fresh thinking within the Facilities and Office Solutions team. Some of us bring years of expertise from NHS Supply Chain and the private sector, while others are just beginning their procurement careers. Supporting their development is important to me — several team members are progressing through their CIPS qualifications, and I’m currently undertaking an apprenticeship MBA myself.
As the NHS procurement landscape continues to evolve, I’m confident that my team — and the wider Facilities and Office Solutions group — will continue to deliver exceptional service, anticipate future challenges, and drive meaningful change.