NHS Supply Chain Launches New Online Catalogue, UK

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 05 Oct 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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NHS Supply Chain is launching a new online catalogue that enables NHS trusts to order goods electronically and personalise their shopping experience. Called NHS-Cat, it will include all 500,000 products handled by NHS Supply Chain and replaces the existing catalogue database. This will ensure that NHS Supply Chain's online catalogue is always up-to-date and provides full product information at the touch of a button. Suppliers will be able to develop and manage their product catalogues online, significantly improving the control and timeliness of catalogue changes and giving product visibility to the entire NHS.

The online catalogue will be powered by @UKPLC, who provide a similar service to both private and public sector organisations. It will also provide customers with a shopping basket facility - similar to other major online retailer which is linked to NHS Supply Chain's ordering systems (Supply Chain OnLine and e-DC). This will enable every NHS trust across England to order goods electronically. This solution will replace the existing NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency catalogue (e-Cat) and will include the former NHS Logistics' catalogue.

Roger West, Procurement Director, NHS Supply Chain, says: "This is a major step forward for the NHS as electronic processes make the ordering process easy and cost-effective - this is key for busy trusts. Suppliers can effectively showcase every aspect of their range and provide critical product updates at the touch of a button to ensure that clinical and financial information is up-to-date. Data only needs to be keyed in once by suppliers which also reduces the risk of errors, and makes transaction processes easy and cost-effective. It will significantly reduce the considerable effort currently expended by both suppliers and NHS trusts managing extensive procurement product catalogues."

About NHS Supply Chain

NHS Supply Chain, operated by DHL logistics, delivers customer-focused, procurement driven services to the NHS and other healthcare organisations. Overseen by the NHS Business Services Authority, its key services include:

-- procurement
-- logistics
-- e-commerce
-- customer and Supplier Support

Across the following key areas:

-- theatre/surgical services
-- medical
-- food and facilities (including office supplies)
-- clinical markets

- orthopaedics
- cardiology
- pathology
- ophthalmics
- renal
- dental
- resonance imaging

http://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/