The trust is aware of the important role that healthcare companies and other suppliers play to assist healthcare practitioners in providing safe, cost effective products and services, including pharmaceuticals and nutritional products to the patients in their care.
To establish and maintain a good working relationship with our suppliers we insist that the guidelines contained in our Supplier Representatives Policy are followed. In doing so it is hoped that the relationship between Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and its suppliers will be a constructive one.
Should you require any clarification please do not hesitate in contacting a member of the Procurement or Pharmacy Departments.
Appointments
To reduce any disruption to the Trust, all suppliers or representatives must make an appointment in advance with the hospital personnel they wish to see. These appointments should be arranged to be held during normal working hours - between 08.30 hrs and 16.30 hrs Monday to Friday.
Cold calling is not permitted. Any representative found to be cold calling will be asked to leave the premises.
Once an appointment has been made the representative must inform the Trust Pharmacy Department (for pharmaceuticals and related products) or the Trust Procurement Department (for all other goods and services).
Chief Pharmacist 01932 723206
Procurement 01784 884731
Company representatives to pre-register with Medical Industry Accreditation Scheme before visiting
Due to the number of company sales representatives visiting Ashford & St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the need to maintain the integrity of clinical governance arrangements on site at all times, it will be necessary for any sales representatives attending an appointment within the hospital to pre-register their visit through the Medical Industry Accreditation Scheme ... read more
Supplier Representatives
- Supplier Representatives must sign in the visitors’ book at the Procurement Department office when visiting the Trust and sign out before leaving. The Procurement Department office at Ashford is located opposite Chaucer Ward and at St Peter’s is based in Chertsey House.
- Supplier representatives visiting main theatres at St Peter’s must report to the theatres stores/procurement store area via the link corridor and sign in before entering the theatres area and proceeding to their appointment. Representatives must not enter the theatres area via the main theatres entrance.
- Representatives from pharmacy suppliers should sign in at the Pharmacy Department.
- Representatives must not enter any stores location or storage area unless accompanied at all times by Trust staff.
- Representatives must not add or remove any goods or equipment from the Trust (including consignment stock) without the express permission of the Trust.
- Representatives are not allowed to tour the hospital looking for staff, and are strictly forbidden from entering clinical areas without a prior appointment with a senior member of the clinical staff.
- Visits must not contravene Trust, NHS or government policies or the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice.
- Representatives should respect their position as visitors to the Trust, and recognise that the interests and priorities of the Trust may differ from their own.
- Representatives should be well informed about the products they are promoting. In addition to standard technical and clinical data, including information on comparative efficiency, the Trust will wish to know what is being promoted, the basis for the promotion, and the specific place that the product is expected to have in therapy.
- Price comparisons should not be used unless they have been verified and approved by a senior member of the Procurement or Pharmacy Departments.
- The purpose of any meeting between representatives and Trust staff should be identified when an appointment is made.
Products and Samples
The introduction of new products into the Trust is strictly controlled. The procedure for the introduction of new products (including product trials) is detailed in a separate document – Clinical Procurement and Introduction of New Products Policy.
Approval to leave (free) samples or on loan goods must be sought from the Procurement Department. Samples must not be left with medical staff or clinical units without prior approval.
Samples should only be accepted by Trust personnel to inspect the product and get a look and feel of the product qualities and potential capabilities. Under no circumstances should samples be used on patients or as part of clinical procedures other than as part of a formal approved trial.
Samples provided for product trials should be new (unused) products supplied in appropriate sealed packaging.
A hospital formulary operates at the Trust. Non-formulary products are not routinely purchased or stocked. Requests that drugs be added to the formulary must come from a consultant and will be examined by the Hospital Drugs & Therapeutics Committee before a decision is made about the drug. Medical and pharmaceutical company representatives must not seek to lobby members of the Drugs & Therapeutics Committee in pursuance of their products.
No drugs samples are permitted at all.
Sustainable Procurement
Sustainable Procurement can be defined as a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, service, works or utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life cycle basis in terms of generating benefits not only to the organisation, but also society and the economy, while minimising damage to the environment.
The Trust will deliver Sustainable Procurement through:-
- Ensuring procurement decisions include whole-life cost, energy consumption, consumables and disposal considerations.
- Encouraging Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and local suppliers to bid for appropriate work.
- Reduce the amount of waste created by encouraging reuse and recycling.
- Complying with all relevant procurement, environmental and other legislation.
- Investigating the Trust’s non-pay spend in order to identify high sustainability-impact suppliers and where possible reducing these impacts.
- Assessing and monitoring suppliers’ sustainability performance before and through the life of the contract.
- Ensuring all staff involved in procurement decisions and contract management are properly and regularly trained in sustainable procurement best practice and kept up to date with developments.
- Ensuring that any sustainable procurement benefits are recorded and reported back to the Trust’s Sustainable Development Group.
Melvyn Lake
Associate Director of Procurement
