Procurement staff praised for efforts

NHS Tayside’s procurement team has been thanked for its work behind the scenes to provide essential supplies and equipment for frontline services.

The team has been working seven-days-a-week to ensure hundreds of thousands of essential items get to the people who need them.

In recent weeks the procurement team has sourced around 600,000 items of PPE for frontline staff, including masks, scrubs, visors, gloves, aprons and more, and 220 pieces of critical medical equipment for use in hospital wards.

In addition, all other necessary supplies have been maintained, including non COVID-related items such as food, utilities, computers and stationery.

The department has also secured a fleet of additional vehicles free of charge to ensure patients can attend essential appointments such as renal dialysis.

Associate director of procurement Michael Cambridge said:“The procurement team want to thank colleagues for their dedication and bravery, and stand beside them in the fight against COVID-19. I would like to applaud them and everyone in my team for playing their part in this fight.

“Generous individuals and organisations are also making offers of additional supplies that we can use to supplement stocks that are being disrupted by unprecedented global demand. The team is using its expertise to ensure such offers are safe to use in clinical and non-clinical settings.”