Requests from NHS Trusts for Contingency Planning Details
Dear Member,
We have received a significant amount of feedback about the number of requests being received from individual NHS organisations seeking information on supplier contingency plans.
We have previously alerted colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS Providers, to the fact that this was placing a considerable burden on companies. I laid out these interactions in an update to you on 25th October.
We had been particularly hopeful that the letter from the Secretary of State to NHS organisations, which took the vast majority of ABHI members outside the scope of suggested self-assessment exercises, would reduce the number of requests you are receiving. Unfortunately it appears to have had the opposite effect.
We have been in touch with DHSC about how we might get close to a “once only” solution for ABHI members. The situation is complicated by the fact that NHS Trusts have been established as autonomous organisations, with their own governance arrangements. Individual Trust Boards are understandably keen to seek assurance that their own supply chains are protected.
We can only suggest, therefore, that in line with the advice included in the Secretary of State’s letter to suppliers, you should consider sending details of your own plans at an organisational level to mdcc-contingencyplanning@dh.gsi.gov.uk. Subsequently, any requests from NHS Trusts can be directed towards the contingency planning team at the DHSC.
This approach comes with two caveats. Firstly, any information provided to DHSC will be shared across multiple NHS organisations and, secondly, individual Trusts may well come back seeking further detail.
We remain very interested in hearing of your experiences with individual organisations and we continue to push hard at the highest level on your behalf at this critical time to ensure members’ interests are represented and protected as far as possible.