Briefing / Roundtable: buying better

Value-based procurement (VBP) is still in its infancy in the NHS, but its time may now have come. It could be used to support NHS recovery and the improvement of outcomes, a recent HFMA roundtable, held in association with Baxter Healthcare, heard. Participants discussed a range of topics, including their experiences of VBP, benefits it could bring to patients and the NHS, and practical considerations when implementing the model, which is based on close partnerships with suppliers. Finance directors, together with their clinical and procurement colleagues, discussed the need to focus on patient outcomes when using VBP to help redesign services. And they highlighted the opportunities for VBP to be used more widely with the advent of integrated care systems.