We are delighted to have received four nominations across three categories at the upcoming EIS London and South conference on 3 July.
Read on for a glimpse of our staff and work that are being recognised at the awards.
Regional Future Leader (Rising Star)
Megan Booth: Going above and beyond to deliver procurement excellence
Megan Booth joined the Hub in 2023 as a Procurement Specialist in the Corporate, Clinical and Regulation division. She is known internally for her drive for procurement excellence, supporting colleagues in expanding their procurement expertise and delivering top quality customer service to our members.
Megan embodies the essence of a future leader in NHS procurement. Her unwavering drive to expand her procurement knowledge is evident through her proactive approach to learning and her commitment to excellence.
Meghan is not only adaptable and approachable but also consistently goes above and beyond her role, willingly taking on additional responsibilities without hesitation. Her supportive nature shines as she mentors colleagues, patiently explaining complex processes and fostering a collaborative environment. Her friendly demeanor and dedication make her an invaluable asset to our team.
Alia Husain: Procurement graduate dedicated to sustainability and excellence in procurement
Alia Husain joined the East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub as a Procurement Graduate through the Pathways 2 NHS Procurement scheme in September 2023.
Over the past year and a half, Alia has become known across our organisation for her passion for embedding sustainability in procurement and dedication to procurement excellence.
Alia’s approaches her work with curiousity and energy, and often brings a fresh perspective to procurement that adds real value to whatever sets her sights on.
Alia has shown a commitment to continuous professional improvement and uses each project she is involved as an opportunity to learn and grow as a procurement professional. She recently passed her level 4 CIPS and is now in the processes of level 5, with a plan in place to progress to level 6 and gain MCIPS.
Regional NHS Champion in Support of Procurement Award
Gizem Michopoulos: Bridging the gap between data analysis, process and procurement
Gizem Michopoulos has been the Systems Process Lead at the NHS Collobrative Procurement Hub since 2022. In her role, she oversees and coordinates business processes and systems to ensure they operate efficiently and align with organisational strategic priorities. Her key focus is bridging the gap between data, organisational processes and the intricate requirements of procurement category specialists.
Gizem is an exceptional team player who strives to build strong relationships with her colleagues and our customers. Her attention to detail and determination to improve complex processes have been crucial in enhancing the management and monitoring of our frameworks.
Gizem’s eagerness to learn is clear from her deep understanding of critical systems, mastering everything from data capture and processing to quality assurance, reporting and analysis. Her proactive approach to understanding our organisation’s needs makes her an invaluable asset to our Data team, and to our procurement specialists that see the benefit of her hard work and determination on a daily basis.
Regional NHS Procurement Transformation Award
Transforming Stoma Care Through Procurement Innovation – The Hub’s Stoma Programme
In 2019, the NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub launched the Stoma Mapping Programme, an in-depth project looking at how stoma products and services were procured in the region. The project included detailed specialist nurse and patient surveys, as well as extensive engagement with suppliers, clinicians, patients and procurement professionals.
The Stoma Programme has largely been led by Jill Kettle, Senior Clinical Products and Services Specialist at the Hub. Jill is a registered nurse with over 40 years of experience.
In response to the service gaps and opportunities for improvement identified through the stakeholder engagement exercise, Jill worked closely with procurement specialists, namely David Olusanya in the Hub’s Pharmacy division, to produce three frameworks to act as a vehicle to deliver system-wide change and innovation in the procurement and delivery of stoma products and services.
The frameworks are:
The team went beyond traditional procurement roles by immersing investigating the clinical and operational realities of stoma care. They engaged directly with patients, specialist nurses, prescribers and suppliers to fully understand the patient experience and inefficiencies within the sector. Their level of dedication to stakeholder engagement — conducting surveys, interviews and stakeholder roundtables — ensured that the resulting frameworks were not only compliant and commercially robust, but clinically meaningful and user-informed.
Despite the scale and complexity of the project, the team remained focused on delivering system-wide, sustainable outcomes rather than quick wins. This long-term mindset exemplifies their commitment to real NHS improvement — not just fulfilling procurement KPIs.
Three integrated care boards in the East of England are now engaged with the programme, resulting in improved patient outcomes, enhanced clinical oversight, and significant cost savings.