Recommendation 22

Both NHS Supply Chain and NHS England told us that trusts and clinicians need to be free to make decisions about which products to buy in some instances and NHS Supply Chain maintained that it offers an appropriate choice of products to trusts. However, there is a risk of tensions and disconnect between cost, clinical choice and patient care and there is no organisation with clear responsibility for managing that disconnect.37 NHS Supply Chain told us that its role is to ensure it always has products available that are safe for use by clinicians but that it does not monitor the use of products by trusts.38 NHSE considered that the choice of product was for local rather than national leadership.39 32 Qq 27, 101–104 33 Q 83; C&AG’s Report, para 2.7 34 Q 83 35 Correspondence from NHSE to the Public Accounts Committee, 15 February 2024 36 Q 82; C&AG’s Report, para 2.9 37 Qq 28, 53–62 38 Qq 53–54 39 Qq 55–56 14 NHS Supply Chain and efficiencies in procurement