A commercial buying system funded by the Crown Commercial Service has has helped NHS procurement teams identify millions in potential savings.

The Atamis system brings together each element of the commercial process in one location. Previously many NHS-affiliated organisations used different platforms to buy goods and services and these systems weren't possible to integrate. This made it difficult for buying teams in the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS to share insights and data between organisations in order to make effective commercial decisions.

According to the government and NHS England, the new system has removed burdensome manual processes and saved millions of pounds in administration costs. This has also freed up capacity in NHS teams while helping health services run more efficiently.

NHS services in North West London were able to identify £34 million of savings by grouping 9 organisations on the same e-commerce system. This has helped them to identify £34 million of potential savings in the past 12 months.

Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary Alex Burghart said: "To meet the Prime Minister’s goal of reducing national debt, we’re making efficiencies for the taxpayer.

"This platform, funded by the Crown Commercial Service in the Cabinet Office, is a major force for good, helping public bodies like NHS Trusts identify significant savings across the country as we continue working to deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to cut waiting lists in the health service."

Health minister Lord Markham said: "I’m pleased to see the success so far of this digital platform, which is already helping NHS organisations across England identify savings opportunities.

"We are committed to using the latest technology and new ways of working to increase efficiencies, save staff time, and deliver value for money."

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