Chaired by Chief Fire Officer Mark Baxter of Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, the panel brought together Christian Cooper of the NHS Emergency Capabilities Unit, Mike Vass of Wiltshire Police and our own social value specialist, Mandy Emery, to discuss how community-led and interagency models are building resilience – and how they can be scaled nationally.
A panel with the frontline at its heart
The conversation centred on what happens when communities are given the tools and trust to act before emergency services arrive. One example that stood out for Mandy was the growing use of bleed kits – community-accessible kits, similar in concept to public defibrillators, that equip bystanders to respond quickly when someone experiences significant blood loss, such as in a knife-crime incident. Mike Vass, force lead for knife crime at Wiltshire Police and co-founder of the initiative, spoke about how the kits are already saving lives by putting immediate, practical action into the hands of the community rather than waiting on frontline services alone.
For Mandy, it was a powerful reminder of why procurement has a part to play in these conversations. Enabling the right partnerships and the right products to reach the front line, she reflected, is what allows this kind of community-led innovation to happen at scale – and ultimately supports better patient outcomes.
Where the opportunity lies
Mandy’s contribution to the discussion also pointed to a wider opportunity: many suppliers want to work with the NHS and public sector but aren’t always sure how to navigate frameworks or begin that engagement. Rather than a barrier, this is a chance for procurement to open the door wider – helping suppliers understand routes to market so that more of this kind of innovation can reach the communities that need it.
It’s a gap the Hub is already working to close through its Demystifying Public Procurement series, which breaks down how organisations and suppliers can engage with public procurement in practical, accessible terms.
Continuing the conversation
The discussion didn’t stop when the panel ended. Mandy and the wider team continued talking with suppliers and delegates about community resilience and social value throughout the show, including at the Hub’s stand P80.
If your organisation is exploring how procurement can support community-led resilience, or you’d like to understand how to engage with public sector frameworks, we’d love to hear from you – get in touch with the team to start the conversation: [email protected]