Case Study: Diversifying NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Supply Chain

Organisation: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Location: Glasgow
Populations served: Circa 1.2m people across Glasgow City, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) successfully applied to the Test and Learn programme, funded by the Health Foundation and NHS England for Health Anchors Learning Network members in late 2021, to test new approaches to diversifying the Board’s supply chain. The Supplier Development Programme (SDP) was engaged as a key delivery partner in recognition of its leading Scottish wide role as a experts in supporting SMEs and social enterprise better connect to public sector procurement opportunities.

The immediate trigger for the pilot was identification in the NHSGGC Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) report (July 2021) of the need to strengthen an inclusive organisational culture through improved procurement practice.  The subsequent TIDE ‘roadmap’ details the procurement actions required to make a long-term strategic change to become more inclusive. This informed the pilot project plan, and its overall aims to reach businesses owned and led by people from diverse backgrounds and overall, increase diversity within the supply chain.