6 April 2010 | Helen Gilbert
A document to help UK health authorities make procurement decisions has been published by the Department of Health.
PCT procurement guide for health services provides a framework to enable primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide when to use procurement for a clinical service, and to determine what purchasing approach to use.
It also outlines some key aspects of purchasing, including the scope of a service specification, financial and risk issues.
The guide replaces a previous document published in May 2008 and applies to all procurement activity from this month onwards.
It has been updated to address themes from NHS 2010 – 2015: From good to great, commercial skills for the NHS and the operating framework for the NHS in England 2010/11.
“PCT boards are expected to ensure procurement activity complies with this guidance and in turn, use the processes outlined within this document to inform their procurement decisions,” the guidance stated.
