Places are limited. Reserve your free ticket here.
The event will give businesses an opportunity to connect directly with the people within the NHS who are responsible for purchasing in the North West. Businesses will be able to ask a panel of senior NHS buyers questions about how to get services and supplies into the NHS. Information will be available as to the support Health Innovation Manchester can offer to businesses who wish to trade with the NHS.
This is an opportunity for businesses across the region to meet and question NHS buyers and provides a unique and valuable insight into NHS procurement. In 2016, the NHS trusts across Greater Manchester, spent 33% of their budgets with SME. This is an opportunity for businesses to learn how to understand NHS spending and to be part of it.
As well as being able to ask procurement leads and business advisors from Health Innovation Manchester how to work with and understand the NHS more effectively in order to be able to get your product to market, there will be the opportunity to see how Health Innovation Manchester can support your business. Health Innovation Manchester can offer Fully funded / Free Business Support to SMEs to help with the adoption of innovative products/services into the NHS.
The agenda for the day consists of:
- Health Innovation Manchester
- Fully funded NHS business support available
- Procurement landscape in the NHS
- Panel of experts to answer Q and A
- Lunch and networking
The expert panel will include:
- Steve Begley: Head of Procurement, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Steve has worked at Alder Hey for 18 years and leads a team of 17, managing a non-pay spend of c.£73million per annum, providing procurement services which improve quality and deliver best value in relation to all goods and services purchased by the Trust. Prior to joining Alder Hey, Steve spent 20 years working in both private and other (non-NHS) public sector organisations
- Sue Colbeck: Head of Procurement & Supplies, Aintree University Hospital Foundation Trust & Liverpool Clinical Laboratories. Sue has worked in Procurement and Supplies since 1999 and qualified as MCIPS in 2007. She is currently Head of Procurement & Supplies at Aintree University Hospital and also Procurement lead for Liverpool Clinical Laboratories. Sue is passionate about ensuring new innovative contracting solutions are fit for purpose and works closely with clinical colleagues to ensure best value
- Margaret Maher: Contract Management expert. Margaret Maher is a seasoned Contract Management expert who has worked in both Public and Private Sectors, which include stints in the NHS/ Local Government and further in the Petro Chemical Industry where she wore many hats. Margaret is always keen to achieve best cost, value and benefit across a wide range of products and services
- Arjun Sikan: Commercial Director, Health Innovation Manchester. Arjun is currently the Commercial Director for Health Innovation Manchester. He has previously work for Innovate UK, where as part of the Catapult team, he provided support for the strategic planning, development and delivery of the Catapult programme for both the Precision Medicine & Cell Therapy Catapults. Arjun has over 10 years of experience in the biotechnology industry developing and implementing business models and market entry strategies for both SMEs and multinationals.
- Nick Allen: NHS expert industry procurement advisor. Nick has worked in Procurement for over 30 years, has sold to the NHS and advises SME’s with procurement advice and how to access the NHS. Nick is passionate about helping innovation break into the Trusts in Greater Manchester and offers help with business cases, value propositions, pitching and much more.
Nick Allen, Health Innovation Manchester advisor said:
“The Ask the Buyer event provides a fantastic opportunity to share advice and guidance with local businesses on the supply of goods and services to the NHS. The event will also provide attendees with insight into purchasing and tendering in the NHS, including the process for becoming an NHS supplier. We are aware that businesses across the region are some of the most innovative in the country, and we want to work with them to improve services for our citizens.”
The event is aimed at businesses who develop or manufacture products or services that would be able to be used within the NHS. There will also be the opportunity to find out how other businesses have been able to work with the NHS to provide products and services. This will enable businesses to understand the challenges and overcome the barriers that companies can face when trying to engage with the NHS.