Supplies Website

e-Enablement

Procurement eEnablement technologies require common communication, transaction and content standards to enable the benefits of process and data visibility between organisation to be achieved. Whilst the first two are now relatively well established for NHS commercial and procurement activities, content standards are not. This prevents effective interoperability and the exchange of information; incurring significant avoidable costs for the NHS and its suppliers

Classification, supplier and product coding are the building blocks of content standards in procurement. Following consultation the National Procurement eEnablement Delivery Group has established the following as the standards for the NHS. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust fully supports this strategy and has already implemented the first two standards. We will work to include supplier coding standards in all procurement systems as part of the Trust's Finance strategy which is approved at Board Level.

Classification–NHS-eClass

The NHS procurement classification system will be NHS-eClass. The consultation highlighted the potential risks of adopting a bespoke NHS system and reviewed alternative systems. NHS-eClass was selected, as it currently offers the most effective classification for medical items. This standard classification system was included in the Trust's e-commerce strategy in 2004.

Coding–GS1

The NHS procurement product coding system will be GS1 GTIN. The use of GS1 coding is already DH policy for the identification of patients and their records in the NHS (Coding for Success); the adoption of GS1 for coding for procurement extends the application of this policy.

The Trust was the first in the UK to be part of the GS1 Instruments and Medical Devices International Healthcare User Group (HUG) in 2005. We were invited to participate in the DH workshop leading to the Coding for Success paper and were featured as a case study. Following the adoption of GS1 standards throughout the NHS, the Trust is now represented on the GS1 UK Leadership Group.

Supplier coding

Dun and Bradstreet codes will be used for the NHS supplier coding system. The NHS currently uses a very large range of supplier coding systems, which are often related to the IT systems used. The Dun and Bradstreet supplier codes are recognised nationally and internationally as well as by the NHS.

The Trust will include these codes in its Oracle e-Business suite and Due North e-tendering package.