With over 21 years of experience in the NHS, I serve as the Associate Director of Procurement for the North East & Yorkshire NHS Pharmaceutical Purchasing Consortium, bringing a wealth of advanced procurement and supply chain expertise to my role. My career has spanned diverse areas within the NHS, including Information Services, Commissioning, Health Improvement, and Healthcare Contracting & Procurement, giving me a comprehensive understanding of both NHS and public procurement needs.

In previous roles at NHS England, South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, and North of England Commissioning Support (NECS), I have led high-value procurement projects, developed strategic category management plans, and implemented innovative cost-saving initiatives. This experience has equipped me with the ability to manage complex procurement processes and create value for the NHS on a large scale.

Throughout my career, I have contributed to organisational strategic plans at local, regional, and national levels, aligning them with NHS priorities. My achievements include leading South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s procurement service to multiple awards, such as the Skills Development Network North East, Yorkshire & Humber Procurement Team of the Year 2022, and the Non-Clinical Team of the Year 2023.

My procurement career started in the private sector and the pharmaceutical industry as a Hospital Services Administrator before joining the NHS in 1999 as Customer Services Manager to Leeds Teaching Hospitals (Pharmacy).  
I joined the Consortium as a Procurement Officer in 2006 where my main focus has been to carry out a wide range of tendering projects, contract management of various frameworks and provide procurement support to member and non-member organisations locally, regionally and nationally, specifically around the unlicensed medicines category.  In 2020 I completed a 6 month secondment  working for NHSE/NHSI Flexible Pharmacy EU Exit workforce as a Regional Procurement Analyst assisting the medicines shortages team.  I am MCIPS (Chartered) qualified.

I am a dynamic procurement and business management professional with a proven track record of transforming operations within the NHS having over 7 years experience. Currently a Category Procurement Specialist, I develop strategic contracting workplans and lead regulatory changes. As a former Business Manager, I successfully managed recovery trajectories, critical complaints, and theatre efficiency programs. My expertise in managing complex contracts and implementing e-procurement solutions has driven significant cost efficiencies and enhanced service delivery.

I started my career in the NHS in August 1984. I as a Student Pharmacy Technician at Harrogate General Hospital. When I qualified in 1986 I worked my way up to Senior Technician gaining experience in all aspects of Pharmacy from dispensary duties (my main role), ward support, manufacturing, stores and aseptics. In my years as a technician I have seen a huge change in Pharmacy technicians no longer “just count tablets” the role has evolved and grown into something I would never have expected in the early years. I have seen many hospitals close a few new hospitals open and many new wings opened which I played and active part in commissioning. I have worked the majority of my 40 years between Harrogate and Leeds with a small stint in PCT land but hospital pharmacy was where my heart lay. Patient care has always been at the forefront of my career and I am proud of the career I chose. I started at LTHT in May 2009 when I took up the post of Lead Technician for ePrescribing where I was part of the project team who rolled out emedicines across the hospitals within LTHT. I was in the post for 10 years until a restructure of the team lead to the start of my procurement journey. I came to the Regional Procurement team to cover Maternity leave for the homecare lead. A huge learning curve took place…… then COVID hit and we pulled together and worked tirelessly for months ensuring that the Region had their fair allocation of medication and helped with the set up on the Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate. Following the end of the mat leave cover I stayed within the team. In my current role as Category Manager for Licensed Medicines I still use my clinical knowledge. At the moment the job is challenging with the new procurement laws due to come into force in Oct 2024 I am currently juggling my day job with a whole raft of training requirements for the new Law.

From leaving school in 1998 I have had something of a mixed career. It started out with a brief stint in the Army (which ended during my training following a knee injury) and then I spent two years as holiday rep abroad before finally settling into office life. I worked in various roles within my early career before falling into the world of Procurement in 2012.  My procurement journey began as Junior Procurement Officer for the largest chemical manufacturer in the world. I then moved to Morrisons Supermarkets where I worked with their manufacturing sites and supermarkets procuring a range Goods, Services and Works contracts.

In 2021 I embarked on a new career in Public Sector Procurement, and I have spent the last 3 years developing my procurement knowledge and skill set to enable me to provide the best public procurement service that I can.  I spent two and a half years working within the education sector at a Bradford based Academy helping them to align themselves to the Procurement regulations, saving over £1.5m over the duration of time. I am now working for NEYPPC as the Category Procurement Specialist for Licensed Medicines utilising my skills for the NHS.  2024 sees the new Procurement Act being introduced which is enabling the continuous development of my knowledge of public sector procurement.
 

I started my career in Community Pharmacy from a school placement to a Saturday job and then onto a full time job at which point I qualified and registered as a Pharmacy Technician.  Following a brief job in Technical Services in a Specials Company I joined the NHS in 2008 as an Aseptic technician at Salford Royal Foundation Trust.  From there I moved as an Aseptic Technician to Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust where in 2010 I took up the newly created position as Homecare Services Manager, a rather unknown speciality at the time.  My experience in homecare grew with the homecare service along with my increasing love of the homecare speciality.  In 2017 I took the opportunity to join the YHPPC regional team as the Regional Homecare Specialist.  This job enabled me to increase my experience into the unexpected area of pharmacy procurement, which I came to also love. 
 
My current role within the NEYPPC lets me combine the two areas of pharmacy I enjoy, homecare and procurement.  Whilst still using my clinical knowledge I have also built on my procurement knowledge.  This was enabled with massive support from what was the YHPPC procurement team.  The new team structure and the coming together of the YH and NE regions along with the new procurement regulations will see some changes in the near future.  I am looking forward to how we can adapt our current working for the better.

The collaborative working in homecare between Trusts is brilliant in the region and the collaboration on national level with the homecare supplier base is in my option a great positive within this market.  As a member of the National Homecare Medicines Committee, I ensure our region is represented on a national level and work with Trusts and suppliers to improve homecare medicines services regionally and nationally.

Whilst the workload and the homecare market are challenging, I strive to do my best and help Trusts and suppliers wherever possible, whilst trying to ensure our frameworks are suitable to all.  
 

I have worked in public procurement for 7 years since leaving university with a degree in French and Spanish. My first role was with NHS Supply Chain before I moved into the university sector as a Category Manager. Most recently, I spent two years at Network Rail as a Senior Buyer. My experience has allowed me to run the end-to-end process of countless mini-competitions as well as establishing a number of frameworks. I am qualified to CIPS Level 4 and I am currently working towards achieving Level 5.

In 2013 I joined an acute hospital as a trainee pharmacy technician, continuing to work across the wider department on a rotational basis once qualified. From 2017 I worked as a trust homecare lead and as part of a hospital pharmacy procurement team, before joining the Yorkshire & Humber NHS Pharmaceutical Purchasing Consortium in 2022 in support of the licensed product and homecare categories.
 
As the consortium transitioned to cover the North East & Yorkshire regions in 2024, I moved fully across to the homecare category, and in to my current role as Clinical Procurement Specialist.

I started in the NHS as a pharmacy porter at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust in early 2000, then trained as Pharmacy Technician as part of the in-house scheme. This then enabled me to develop and shape my career through various roles in pharmacy at LTHT working in dispensaries, technical services and quality assurance/quality control.
I joined the Consortium in 2017 as their Medicines Assurance Manager leading on tenders and frameworks that now form the unlicensed medicines category and undertaking all the quality assessment work on awarded suppliers and products. 
Since our team restructure was enacted, I am now working fully on the QA element as the Quality Assurance Manager with the recruitment of Michael.
I am looking forward to further developing our specialist service within the consortium for our members over the next few years including the recent expansion into the North East.  
 

I’ve worked in pharmacy within the NHS since 1988, qualifying as a Pharmacy Technician in 1991. Since then, I have worked in a diverse range of roles within pharmacy including dispensaries, stock distribution to wards, and Aseptic Services. 

In the year 2000, I progressed my career with my first management role as Inpatients Dispensary Manager. Following this role, in 2003 I accepted a role in project management to validate and implement a new software system in Aseptic Services (Chemocare®). My first taste of pharmacy procurement came in 2006 when I became the first dedicated Specialist Homecare Pharmacy Technician in the UK and was involved with the early engagement at a national level to introduce standardisation in homecare medicines. I was awarded the AAH Pharmacy Technician of the Year in 2008 for my work in creating change management of homecare provider procedures

My career advanced further in 2014 when I became Chief Technician in Radiopharmacy where I stayed for nearly ten years operationally managing a team that provides radioactive diagnostic and therapeutic doses across a wide range of clinical needs. 

In 2024, I accepted a role within the North East and Yorkshire NHS Pharmaceutical Purchasing Consortium as a Clinical Procurement Specialist for Quality Assurance on contracted medicines where I currently work. This role requires me to work closely with the purchasing team to ensure contracted medicines and suppliers as of the quality required by our clinical teams and patients and have undergone the necessary checks.

I have a post graduate diploma in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance and hold a current PRINCE2 Foundation award in Project Management.
 

With a strong foundation in procurement from my time working within community pharmacies, I joined the consortium in 2017 and took on the Data Manager role in 2023. I excel at extracting value from data to streamline processes and achieve cost savings for the NHS.

Joining the consortium as Business Support Co-ordinator in March 2024, I mainly focus on devising data solutions to facilitate contract management and maximise cost efficiency. My professional history unfolds a narrative of discretion and precision across both public and private sectors in Hong Kong: from navigating confidential corridors in an honorary consulate and organising scholarly events in academia, to crafting educational materials within distinguished publishing and software development realms.