On behalf of NHS Procurement in Partnership (NHS PiP), our collaboration with three other NHS procurement hubs - NHS Commercial Solutions, NHS London Procurement Partnership and NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative - the East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub (EOECPH) is pleased to announce the launch of the new Stoma Care Nurse Sponsorship Service framework.

This new agreement is available for use by all members across the four NHS collaborative procurement partners and the wider NHS.

Offering a consistent way for procuring a stoma care nurse sponsorship agreement between trusts and suppliers, the development of this framework was informed by EOECPH’s research into the region’s stoma care services and subsequent findings, published in the Hub's StoMap Baseline Report (2019).

Operating in both primary and secondary care settings, the agreement, which includes a patient’s pre- and post-operative care, can assist trusts in delivering patient-focussed services and aiding improvements to patient care.  It can also achieve cost saving efficiencies by reducing waste from overprescribing and overordering.

Complications following stoma surgery are common.  Through regular interaction with patients, specialist stoma nurses can help to reduce instances of complications.  They also have a comprehensive knowledge of appliances and accessories, ensuring patients have appropriately prescribed products and choice.

Benefits of the framework include: 

• Delivers a better quality of life and promotes independence for patients 

• Reduces over-prescribing and over-ordering of products 

• Offers effective prescribing control by consistent application of prescribing guidance and the authority’s accessory formulary to ensure items issued are cost-effective and quantities supplied are in line with patients’ clinical needs

• Frees up GP time by having specialist Stoma Care Nurses managing prescriptions to add clinical value to the prescribing process. This should ensure suitable quantities and products are prescribed, reducing primary care administration time for GPs

• Offers an agreed patient pathway to reduce complications through regular interactions with patients to deliver improved clinical care 

• Delivers more accessible community support for patients following discharge to avoid patients attending the Emergency Department and accessing urgent healthcare services due to stoma related complications

• Delivers a standardised, regular, reliable Stoma Nurse service.

For more information, including the list of awarded suppliers, please see the Stoma Care Nurse Sponsorship Service marketing sheet on our website.

Contact Procurement Specialist, David.Olusanya@eoecph.nhs.uk or Clinical Products & Services Specialist, Jill.Kettle@eoecph.nhs.uk.