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# Value Based Procurement: The Origin Story
- URL: https://med-techinsights.com/value-based-procurement-the-origin-story/
- Published: 2026-08-17T15:26:42.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:46:56.000Z
- Description: Chris Whitehouse, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at Whitehouse Communications, who played a key role in securing the government’s commitment to introducing Value Based Procurement (VBP) across the NHS in England, sets out some of the key steps to its de
- Author: Oliver Johnson
- Tags: Insights, Policy & Regulation

###### [*Chris Whitehouse*](https://med-techinsights.com/tag/chris-whitehouse/)*, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at* [*Whitehouse Communications*](http://www.whitehousecomms.com/?ref=med-techinsights.com)*, who played a key role in securing the government’s commitment to introducing Value Based Procurement (VBP) across the NHS in England, sets out some of the key steps to its delivery.*

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When the [**Department of Health and Social Care**](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care?ref=med-techinsights.com) (DHSC) [published its new guidance](https://med-techinsights.com/2026/06/11/new-approach-to-deliver-value-based-procurement-rolled-out-across-nhs-in-england/) on Value Based Procurement in June (2026), regular readers of this column will not have been surprised because we have been following its development as a policy and a methodology over several years.

###### **Years in the making**

Indeed, far from being a recent development, the VBP policy commitment was first announced in the [Medical Technology Strategy](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63dbe1f68fa8f57fbfff3db3/medical-technology-strategy.pdf?ref=med-techinsights.com) published by the previous Conservative Government as long ago as February 2023, which argued that: “To ensure the best value for public money, the value of medtech products should not be considered in isolation, but across the whole patient pathway. Affordability, long term value, and above all patient outcomes must form part of this assessment, as well as an acknowledgement that ‘lowest price’ does not always translate to best value”.

###### **Securing Ministers’ attention**

But, in 2023 and 2024 the further development and implementation of that policy commitment faced two substantial challenges. The first of these problems was that Ministers at DHSC had more pressing and contentious issues upon which they were forced to focus their attention – spiralling NHS waiting lists, with an elective backlog of 7.3 million in England; emergency care collapse, with December 2022 having been the worst month on record for ambulance response times; chronic staff shortages aggravated by nurses and junior doctors striking; and financial stresses after years of underfunding. Technical aspects of procurement policy were struggling for airtime with government Ministers.

To secure Ministerial attention, a key champion emerged – Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, a former Health Minister under Tony Blair’s premiership, historically the first Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation and currently Patron of the professional body for health procurement, the [Health Care Supply Association](https://www.nhsprocurement.org.uk/?ref=med-techinsights.com). Through a series of challenging [written parliamentary questions](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-28/hl2842?ref=med-techinsights.com) and [articles in key health policy publications](https://www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-performance/labour-should-prioritise-value-not-price-in-nhs-reforms/7035805.article?ref=med-techinsights.com), Lord Hunt cogently made the case, repeatedly, for VBP as being demonstrably of benefit in improving patient experiences and outcomes and in substantially reducing overall costs to the NHS, whilst also improving environmental impact and other social goods.

Hunt drew on, among other evidence, a series of case studies undertaken in partnership with NHS trusts by the leading global health and hygiene company, Essity, one the leading suppliers, among other items, of absorbent continence products to the NHS in England. The case studies had demonstrated consistently, across community, residential and hospital settings, that switching patients from a low-priced item to one which better met their assessed clinical needs led to reduced risk of skin damage and infections such as urinary tract infections, dermatitis and pressure ulcers which can lead to life-threatening complications such as sepsis or gangrene – with significant implications for patients and for the cost of NHS treatment. The studies also demonstrated reductions in falls, leaks, clinical interventions and hospital admissions as well as improved patient fitness and quality of life through greater mobility. Other significant savings were demonstrated in reduced laundry costs, staff time changing patients and even staff sickness days.

###### **Ministerial commitment**

This campaign led to a meeting with the Minister responsible for health policy in the House of Lords, then the Conservative Peer, Lord Markham, in December 2023\. Attending with Lord Markham was David Lawson, head of the Medical Technology and Innovation Directorate (MedTech Directorate) at the DHSC, Lord Hunt and myself. The outcome of that meeting was unequivocal Ministerial support for, and empowerment of, the MedTech Directorate to take forward its further development of a VBP assessment methodology and to develop, with Ministerial backing, a programme to ensure its subsequent roll-out would be successful across the NHS in England, whichever political party would be in government after the then anticipated General Election.

###### **General Election and change of government**

That looming General Election was the second major challenge for the consistent development of VBP as a practical policy. The Conservative Government was caught in the headlights of an almost certain removal from office and unable to grapple with new challenges, but behind the scenes, already empowered to do so, the MedTech Directorate was able to continue its collaborative policy development work. Parliament was dissolved from 30th May and a Labour Government elected on 4th July with a massive majority.

In that change of government was a real danger to the VBP policy – would the policy be ditched as one of the previous Conservative Government and consequently not one that the new administration wanted to be seen to pursue?

###### **Labour Government commits**

To counter that risk, targeted media campaigns, lobbying and wider engagement work continued on the part of Lord Hunt (helpfully himself a Labour Peer), Essity, and others working towards the same objectives. A breakthrough came with the opportunity to commit the new Labour government to the VBP policy when Ministers were persuaded to include in Labour’s landmark [Ten Year Plan for the NHS](https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/?ref=med-techinsights.com) a key section saying:

“The NHS has mixed up its priorities when it comes to buying things. It has bought goods and services as if everything were a basic, interchangeable item, where only price matters. This means the NHS has focused too much on lowest cost, rather than best value and outcomes. In other industries, investing in technology has led to remarkable new ways of doing business, boosting productivity and delivering benefits for customers and companies alike. If the NHS is to achieve the same, we need a fundamentally different approach to procurement that is applied consistently across the health service. Early next year, we will introduce a standard value based procurement guidance for devices and digital products”.

###### **The launch**

Armed with this key policy commitment from the highest level of government, the MedTech Directorate continued its development of the methodology, engaging widely and collaborating constructively with industry, with the procurement community and with wider stakeholders on a series of iterations of the approach. The [launch in June](https://med-techinsights.com/2026/06/11/new-approach-to-deliver-value-based-procurement-rolled-out-across-nhs-in-england/) (2026) was the culmination of the first three and half years of work. But, without doubt, the biggest challenge still lies ahead – encouraging senior NHS executives to embrace the new approach, engaging clinicians to help define the improvements in patient outcomes that a given procurement should seek to support, and empowering procurement teams enthusiastically to adopt a new way of thinking – not price, but value.

###### **Driving adoption and implementation**

The scale of this challenge is well understood by the MedTech Directorate which is developing and deploying training resources, creating a network of VBP champions, creating a digital platform as a delivery tool, and continuing to engage with industry and stakeholders. The roll-out will be kept under review, with regular analysis and reports on progress, successes and challenges; and there will be further iterations of the VBP methodology over the coming years, with an independent review in early 2027, as feedback comes in from its early adopters. All those involved in the project to date can be proud of what they have achieved in delivering an approach that will improve the experience, outcomes and lives of millions of patients, reducing the burdens on NHS clinical and support staff, and delivering substantial savings for NHS budgets and the taxpayer who funds them.

###### **The role of MedTech Insights**

These columns in MedTech Insights have played a key role in keeping the wider sector informed as key milestones have been reached to date, and will continue to do so in the future. It was no accident, that a few days prior to the official launch of the methodology, its architect, David Lawson, presented on our publisher’s platform at [MedTech Expo 2026](https://med-techinsights.com/2026/06/11/uk-medtech-industry-reacts-to-med-tech-expo-2026/), outlining his vision for the future and mapping out the considerable work that still lies ahead.

Full details of the current VBP assessment methodology [can be found here](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/value-based-procurement-for-medical-technology/value-based-procurement-national-standard-guidance-for-medical-technology?ref=med-techinsights.com).

*The Author used AI in preparing this article. Comments upon or questions about this article can be addressed to* [*chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com*](mailto:chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com)*.*