Reflections on keeping the NHS Supply Chain moving through its most challenging time
By Unipart CEO Darren Leigh
At the end of September we concluded the handover of the NHS Supply Chain contract and I want to reflect on what the commitment and dedication of our colleagues helped us to deliver over the past six years, through the most unprecedented challenges the NHS has faced.
Above all I would like to thank all 2,200 colleagues and wish them well with their new employer.
From day one of the partnership back in 2019, we at Unipart have all been incredibly proud to have served the NHS Supply Chain. And I’m particularly proud of our response during the Covid pandemic, so shortly after we began operating it. The world changed forever, but our Unipart colleagues stepped up, becoming the backbone of the NHS Supply Chain. They worked through unimaginable pressure to ensure essential supplies reached every hospital, every clinic, and every frontline worker.
Social distancing and restricted travel requirements of the pandemic meant we needed to challenge ourselves and the NHS Supply Chain to develop innovative solutions, such as digital twinning. This technology enabled sites to be agile in managing resourcing and stock allocation, and also enabled us to consider one-way routes across sites, minimising the risk of spreading the virus, whilst limiting the impact on productivity.
During the height of the pandemic, Unipart was challenged to set up a customer service team within 96 hours to support vital PPE supply queries. Many people around the country were anxious, worried and afraid, so I’m proud we provided someone for them to talk to at a crucial time, handling 2,500 customer contacts per day.
This was an incredibly difficult time for millions of people affected by the virus around the world so I am forever grateful to the NHS and all those who worked so hard to try to keep our loved ones safe.
Unipart continued to deliver significant projects for the NHS Supply Chain, such as the seamless migration of operations from Coventry to Daventry, and the launch of brand new sites at Suffolk Park and Gorsey Point.
A number of records were broken during this period as we delivered the highest ever volumes during key holiday periods – and demonstrated our strength in action as a supply chain performance improvement partner.
Our colleagues’ growth and development is a core principle of The Unipart Way, and we are proud to have had a number of colleagues complete their apprenticeships on the contract. By developing our people on such an important partnership, we were able to create a workforce that truly understands what it takes to deliver excellence and growth on the biggest scale.
I am proud to work and partner with all our customers, however I think most will agree that to be a part of the NHS is a unique and significant honour. And through it you get the realisation that the NHS is nothing without its people dedicated to making patients lives better.
I am personally sad to see much great talent leave Unipart with the contract transfer. I am humbled and proud they will continue to tirelessly serve the NHS, as the backbone of its supply chain. I thank them for all they taught me in how they rose to and responded to the pandemic, one of the biggest challenges we will all likely experience in our lifetime.
I extend my deepest gratitude to each and every one of Unipart’s 2,200, now former, colleagues for their dedication, resilience, and extraordinary service, and wish them a prosperous future and onward career with their new employer.