Member Article

Gloves off as St Helens firm breaks into NHS market

Leanvation, the St Helens-based company that produces types of surgical gloves, has broken into the main NHS market just a year after it was first established.

The company has won a place on two key procurement frameworks, allowing it to supply unlimited amounts of surgical gloves to NHS Trusts throughout the UK.

Under EU rules, NHS Trusts are limited in the value of products they can purchase from any one supplier without going through an official tender procedure.

Securing a place on the NHS Shared Business Service Framework and the Health Trust Europe Framework allows Leanvation to overcome this barrier.

Leanvation was set up in 2013 by former healthcare executives Dr Jonathan Day and Tony Downes, with backing from The North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by Enterprise Ventures.

It has developed a range of surgical gloves that aims to reduce the risk of allergies and hand fatigue while offering improved fit and comfort.

The company will be launching four new products in early 2015 and is about to start work on a new range of surgical gloves designed to further improve infection prevention, thanks to its success in winning a five-figure research grant.

Leanvation’s Managing Director, Dr Day, said: “This is a major step forward for Leanvation, effectively giving us a licence to supply the NHS in volume and compete alongside the traditional multinational surgical glove brands.

“It proves that Leanvation products can help improve value, efficiency and clinical practice in the NHS.

“In fact our range was awarded a 100% score by the Health Trust Europe Framework – the highest of any supplier.”

Lisa Ward of Enterprise Ventures said: “Breaking into the NHS market is notoriously difficult for small suppliers.

“This is a remarkable achievement for a relatively new business and demonstrates the value of Leanvation’s products.

“The company is clearly bringing innovation into the world of medical gloves and its current range is set to be the first of many.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .