Procurement in the NHS is a “mess” and “has no teeth” according to a NHS Trust head buyer.

John Watts, interim director of procurement and ecommerce at Barts Health Trust called for change within the Trusts procurement centre, saying that the centre at present has “no teeth” and that there “is no-one at the centre driving change.”

He added that the approach employed by NHS Trusts would be madness in the private sector and had resulted in huge annual deficits across the country.

He described that change was paramount in driving cost savings: “You won’t get the best price if you’re not prepared to change. It’s about competition, it’s about commitment and willingness to change.”

Mr Watts made the comments at the Government Opportunities NHS Procurement Conference in Birmingham.

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