#TeamTalk: Sustainability at the heart of our Catering, Curtains, Textiles and Pulp category
Welcome to 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 Catering, Curtains, Textiles and Pulp team, who manage a range of products, and are involved in various innovations in the NHS market.
We sat down with Parmjit Gill, Senior Category Manager, to talk about how his team sources essential equipment for the NHS, from catering consumables to NHS uniforms, while ensuring sustainability is at the heart of everything they do.
“I joined NOE CPC in 2018, but have been with NHS Supply Chain since 2011 when I joined as a graduate. In that time, I have worked across a breadth of categories and whilst savings has remained as a key objective, sustainability and innovation have become more prominent. The three R’s of sustainability (Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle) have stood the test of time and are a theme for our work.
“Our category is responsible for a range of essential NHS Supply Chain frameworks, including textiles, uniforms, medical pulp, curtains, and catering consumables. We have a supply base of 75 providers across these frameworks, and we manage £73m of spend annually.
“With our NHS Healthcare Uniforms framework, we have introduced a standardised uniform for health professionals across England. The uniforms could reach up to 600,000 wearers, if adopted nationally, and could yield approximately 30% savings for those trusts that adopt it.
“We surveyed 60,000 people across the NHS and designed and sourced the uniform ourselves. There are 15 customers who have already adopted it and another 15 in the process of implementing.
“It will be beneficial for patients, in determining who is treating them, as well as staff and visitors. The uniform also incorporates sustainable initiatives such as Better Cotton and GRS certified recycled polyester. The framework also addresses concerns about modern slavery and environmental impact in cotton sourcing regions.
“And then, coming down the pipeline, we have the National Uniform for Estates and Facilities, which will be for non-clinical staff such as cleaners, porters, drivers, catering and Hard FM. We will be sending a survey out to these members of staff over the winter.
Our National Ambulance Uniform framework is a trailblazer and great example of NHS wide collaboration, standardisation and commercial leverage.
“In other frameworks within our category, we are promoting the latest customer-led innovations to ensure our customers get the best products, that are both cost-effective and sustainable. The Medical Pulp framework ensures the availability of essential disposable items, such as bedpans and urinals. It also includes the new Pee in Pot (PIP) sustainable urine collection device designed by an NHS Trust, made from sugar cane pulp and bamboo fibre, which is completely biodegradable and mitigates the use of plastic devices. And there’s the UniWee, also designed by an NHS Trust, which is currently at prototype stage, which is a universal urinal. We know that millions of male urinals are sold each year, but much fewer female urinals. So the hope is that the UniWee is more widely adopted, which could reduce the number of female catheterisations and the risks associated with them, improve patient experience and generate cost savings. We’re also looking to use products more effectively by seeking to reduce the practise of double bowling Detergent Proof Bowls, generating a carbon benefit by not over using and cost savings.
“Through our Curtains, Blinds and Associated Services framework, we provide polypropylene curtains, which can now be recycled through a new service element in the framework, promoting sustainability and cost savings by diverting waste from landfill.
“We relaunched the Catering Consumables and Equipment framework in July, which covers everything from cups, straws and stirrers to re-usable cups and food packaging, which again is in line with our increasing focus on sustainability.
“And across these frameworks, pricing is standardised nationally, ensuring customers receive the same prices regardless of size or location, leading to savings and supplier commitment.
“Our team is not just focused on the present; we are also looking ahead to the future. With an eye on innovation and sustainability, we are continuously exploring new ways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of these frameworks. This forward-thinking approach ensures that we remain at the forefront of procurement excellence.”