15.07.19
NHS set to open new distribution centre in Suffolk
A vast new NHS warehouse and distribution centre is set to be opened in Suffolk, serving East Anglia and the South East and storing everything from bandages to surgical equipment.
The warehouse, located on the Suffolk Park complex in Bury St Edmunds, measures in at 147,000 sq ft and was recently sold for more than £17m.
It has been leased by an approved NHS contractor and will be operated as the new NHS Supply Chain centre, replacing a smaller unit five miles away.
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Chris Holmes, director of supply chain for NHS Supply Chain, said: "Our investment in this new warehouse is a significant step forward to realising our ambition of providing additional warehousing capacity for the NHS.
"It's key to our long-term strategy of increasing usage of the NHS Supply Chain from circa 40% to 80% of NHS procurement spend on medical consumables and medical devices. We will be working closely with [the leasing organisation] during the design and build phase."
The centre will store hospital supplies including surgical gloves to implants and other medical equipment, supplying hospitals all over the region.
It is part of an ambitious project intended to save taxpayers millions of pounds ever year, which the NHS can then reinvest in services for patients, as well as allowing the healthcare service to purchase more in bulk.