Member Article

What you need to know about selling to the NHS in 2023

NHS suppliers often make the mistake of assuming they’re selling to the whole NHS, instead of selling to a local NHS organisation.

An NHS database will provide you with a wide range of names and job roles, across a variety of healthcare organisations (hospitals, GP surgeries, governing bodies and so forth). You need to know this when you’re preparing your pitch.

In order to demonstrate that you understand the organisation’s needs and requirements for innovation, a focus on national trends is unlikely to give you an edge over your competitors.

It is far more important to demonstrate that your proposal addresses their area’s particular characteristics and requirements.

Bid or tender?

Public bodies are required to follow strict rules when spending public funds. All projects with costs above the low- value threshold (set by the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)) for goods and services must be put out to tender.

On 21 December 2022, the Government introduced the Public Contracts (Amendment) Regulations 2022. By bringing thresholds back in line with VAT exclusive values, these regulations change the values below which these obligations apply.

Despite being listed as central government authorities in Schedule 1 of the PCR, NHS Foundation Trusts will be subject to the higher limit of £30,000 just like NHS Trusts.

Prospects for suppliers

The NHS currently spends around £300 million every year on third-party goods, services, and contracts.

Public sector procurement methods may vary based on the value and type of goods, services or work being procured. In accordance with Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR2015), all tenders over the defined threshold must undergo a full tender, whereas lower value tenders must be sorted by best value.

In what ways does the NHS structure affect prospective suppliers?

When dealing with the NHS and researching opportunities for collaboration, suppliers should understand the following principles:

Providers and commissioners are different

A good way to understand NHS buyers - and learn about newer layers such as the Integrated Care System - is to look at it from the perspective of this question: is this a provider or a commissioning body? Each offers its own unique potential.

Local authorities or Clinical Commissioning Groups may award contracts to service providers on behalf of the NHS as a whole. They serve as commissioners. Meanwhile, customer-facing organisations such as hospitals and GP surgeries act as direct providers of healthcare services.

Put simply, commissioners buy goods and services; providers provide them.

What are the opportunities for a smaller supplier?

A majority of startups will not start out selling directly to large organisations, like hospitals.

The hospital sector generates a lot of demand in one place, and because hospitals are so visible, many new suppliers assume that this is where the greatest NHS procurement opportunities lie.

It is often difficult for smaller enterprises to be able to keep up with the demands of hospitals, who may lack the resources necessary to supply large institutions on a long-term basis.

GPs, pharmacies, dentists, and other local and community-based care providers are the most promising markets for small suppliers. In providing these smaller organisations with the goods and services they need on a regular basis, businesses can enjoy better growth prospects.

In the midst of chaos, there are opportunities

The NHS complex procurement structure also allows business opportunities to originate from a variety of local authorities, rather than one centralised entity. As a result, hopeful suppliers have more opportunities for doing business with the NHS.

It is possible to break the NHS down into its individual parts and find an NHS contract within separate NHS bodies, using a targeted list of prospects focusing on the specific departments, locations and budgets best suited to your product/service.

How to pitch to NHS bodies

Show how you can add value

Obtaining empirical evidence is essential for proving the effectiveness of your product/service.

It is unlikely that a busy doctor or commissioner will take notice of your product, unless you can demonstrate that it enhances clinical outcomes or operational efficiency.

Physicians and commissioners typically cannot be persuaded by aggressive sales tactics.

Healthcare professionals are looking at the long term plan. They often appreciate the opportunity to offer feedback on whether a product or service could be helpful in the treatment of their patients and, ultimately, save them time.

A clear, accessible explanation of the subject

Describe your product’s benefits using clear, compelling messaging to a broad audience.

Don’t use confusing jargon or dense terminology to describe your product’s capabilities. Audience members who understand don’t need that language to grasp it, and you risk alienating commissioners without the medical background, but with budgetary authority.

Be persistent, but do not spam

Supplying to the NHS takes persistence and ongoing improvement to gain the attention of health and social care professionals.

Nevertheless, it would be irresponsible to spam busy medical professionals and commissioners in an attempt to generate leads and customers.

Engaging with your target audience via email, social media and telemarketing is the best way to determine what works and what doesn’t.

Using More Than Words Marketing’s accurate, updated, and comprehensive NHS email list, you can reach hospitals, NHS trusts and more directly.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by More Than Words Marketing .