Stockport LMC Flu Purchasing Consortium 2001

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Stockport Health Authority
Springwood House
Poplar Grove
Stockport
SK7 5BY

26 September 2006

Flu Consortium Lessons Learnt 2000

Looking towards 2001, despite the difficulties encountered during 2000 many practices have expressed their desire for the consortium purchase of flu vaccines to continue.

The strengths of the consortium approach are clear; not only can we negotiate a very low purchase price which even non-consortium practices benefit from when negotiating independently. But also when faced with adversity the consortium is able to negotiate additional supplies from alternative suppliers and co-ordinate practices for priority deliveries.

Indeed if the Consortium does not go forward during 2001, it is unlikely practices negotiating independently will achieve such generous levels of discount since suppliers will no longer have the consortium to compete with.

In addition the collective purchasing power of the consortium was the main motivator in securing the recent compensation payments for practices, both the 10% to all practices and the additional sum now payable through the purchasing group.

Of course the Consortium must learn the lessons of the season just passed and look at new ways to guarantee supply and delivery schedules especially if there is to be a repeat item of service incentive scheme for practices in 2001 thus increasing demand.

Moving away from a sole supplier contract has been suggested and this will be considered and probably implemented. However, multiple suppliers may not necessarily have prevented last year’s difficulties.  Granted, depending on how arranged (split supplier for all practices versus alternate supplier across practices) multiple suppliers could possibly have reduced the impact on practices but we would not have been able to source the shortfall from other suppliers as they had already sold out. Indeed it may actually have exacerbated the problem, since at least virtually all practices in Greater Manchester experienced similar problems and a consistent message could be conveyed by way of local media campaigns.

Any suggestions or comments you may have would be gratefully received, please email Paul Stevens or contact him at Stockport LMC.