Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s savings on orthopaedic trauma products through NHS Supply Chain has allowed it to reinvest in frontline staff, education and patient care.

The trust went from two major suppliers to one and is on target to save £850,000 in the first year, with a further £2.8 million savings predicted over the next four years.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust spent £1.6 million on orthopaedic trauma products in 2019 and wanted to find out if it was possible to drive benefits by moving to different suppliers or by rationalising their supply base through a procurement process. The trust agreed that a proportion of any savings would be invested back into the orthopaedic trauma department.

As a result of the savings, brought to light by NHS Supply Chain, the orthopaedic trauma department at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust now has two new nurse practitioners and an educational package costing £340,000. This will support their educational activities over the next four years. The trust will reinvest another future £2.3 million of savings on frontline patient care.