In this article, Allison Seabourne, Medstor Sales Director, praises the NHS PPN 06/20 for its positive impact throughout the supply chain.
As a supplier to the NHS and emerging from the latest round of framework tender/supply applications (P23, NHS SBS, Supply Chain and BSO PaLS), it has felt very gratifying to be part of a network whose intent is to ‘protect’ every available aspect of its involvement. Getting good value for money, while key for any organisation, has now been tempered by a need and a will to protect our planet and our people.
Delivering social value through the Government’s commercial activities via the commissioning and purchase of all goods and services by NHS organisations ensures supply chain compliance across its key target areas. It also offers a framework for supplier improvement incentives and has been welcomed very much by everyone at Medstor
About Medstor, Stamford Products Ltd
Medstor manufactures and installs innovative materials management solutions developed specifically for the healthcare market and has national installation cover, working with countless hospitals throughout the UK and beyond. In addition to highly experienced regional managers, Medstor has an in-house design team that can provide support and advice with designs and layout and also engineer bespoke solutions if required.
Products range from ward-specific mobile module carts to HTM 63 and HTM 71 cabinetry and shelving, all of which support the world’s favourite clear crystal modular ISO 60 x 40 trays and divider system. Almost everything is built in the company’s large UK manufacturing facility in East Manchester, ensuring consistency of supply and quality. Some of the products are standalone, others work best as part of a holistic solution involving, for example, the refit of an entire storage location or, more commonly, complete hospital.
As a company that positions itself as a custodian of the supply chain and is absolutely committed to supporting the NHS in every way possible, Medstor is also embracing the guidelines of PPN 06/20 in the way it operates. It is managing its own demanding goals to meet the policy guidelines, which in turn is enabling improvements that affect everyone across the business.
Fighting Climate Change
The Medstor materials management system uses multi-material construction incorporating plastic, wood and metal, each with their own unique paths but all sourced and used responsibly, forming part of the company’s supplier and recycling decarbonisation strategy Fighting Climate Change The Medstor materials management system uses multi-material construction incorporating plastic, wood and metal, each with their own unique paths but all sourced and used responsibly, forming part of the company’s supplier and recycling decarbonisation strategy
Medstor was an early signatory to the British Plastics Federation’s Climate Change Agreement for Plastics Processing (BPF CCA), a voluntary agreement containing targets to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions. BPF CCA encourages a holistic company approach in the reduction of its carbon footprint that Medstor has embraced wholeheartedly.
BREEAM reporting of the StoneX Stadium Clinical Health Facility with main contractors Morgan Sindall Construction and Overbury, along with its transparent reporting and external audits, required another government initiative, resulting in Medstor achieving demanding Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation. This is an externally audited accreditation that confirms that any forest-based materials used in the manufacturing process have been produced according to the FSC’s rigorous standards and are credibly used along each product’s path from the forest to becoming finished goods
The implementation this year of a free cooling system within Medstor offices, which utilises low ambient air temperatures at different times of the year and within the day to reduce the energy required to run chillers (producing chilled water for the production process), plus a heat exchange system due for implementation later this year, is both excellent to have and pleasing to report on any tender application as Medstor works to bid for future business. Reducing the carbon footprint is a holistic company endeavour. Measures such as reducing packaging, introducing hybrid vehicles and LED lighting, form part of constant, continued progress that ensures reductions. The transparent reporting of these activities means success is measured and visible to all.
While the route to Net Zero for manufacturers will be a long one, the fact that, through PPN 06/20, the NHS has put Net Zero firmly as a supplier objective, gives ever more incentive and validity to suppliers like Medstor, who are working hard each and every day to reach it.
Tackling Economic Inequality
With 150 employees, over 100 of whom are based in its manufacturing departments, Medstor believes it is critical both to the development of the business and its employees to engage in the process of upskilling.
Operatives are encouraged and remunerated for their ability to work across all disciplines - including welding, cabinet building, packing and polymer product manufacture, as well as injection and rotational moulding
Work commissioned by the NHS during the COVID pandemic firmly planted the concept of an agile workforce, skilled to be able to multitask as and when required, and the camaraderie seen during those months continues now across all Medstor’s manufacturing processes
Every Medstor employee is a highly valued member of the company. A twice-yearly appraisal scheme empowers employees to openly discuss the direction they would like their careers to take. The company also runs an annual application for training, where all employees are encouraged to take up training programmes for their personal and working development. Courses are fully funded and all participants have access to inhouse facilities and internal mentors
The ‘protect’ aspect of PPN 06/20 is further driven through the policy, adding its weight behind Equal Opportunities and Wellbeing. Medstor and its umbrella company Stamford Products Ltd celebrate the inclusion of its diverse workforce across all disciplines, and a formulated wellness strategy has been strengthened and implemented to further encourage the wellbeing agenda.
Medstor has an ongoing commitment to helping staff maintain a healthy lifestyle. An annual Medstor Wellness Employee Engagement Survey which, in 2022, had a response rate of over 90%, allows the management team to form a consensus of areas to address.
Many Medstor employees took advantage of the company’s participation in the Active Workplace Scheme and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Be Well Tameside campaign, booking free confidential health checks and accessing support with issues such as giving up smoking, healthy eating and how to manage debt.
In addition, employees were recently offered the chance to undertake mental health training through MHFA England. These trained Mental Health First Aiders are visible on notice boards, company WhatsApp groups and available to any employee to reach out to for confidential assistance.
Partnership and Progress
Reaching Net Zero is an extreme challenge for everyone at Medstor, as manufacturing processes tend to be carbon-intensive. However, as a company, we are working very hard across every department and the whole site to reach this ambitious goal. We know that it won’t happen overnight, but we have embraced the journey wholeheartedly and will put 100% into getting there, in line with government targets and policy guidance.
Like many suppliers to the NHS, we greatly value the business placed with us. We are now able to report on the extended value the business can generate as we work together to protect the environment and each other
Medstor
Bayley Street,
Stalybridge,
Cheshire,
SK15 1QQ.
Tel:+44 (0)161 330 5577
e-mail: health@medstor.co.uk
Website: www.medstor.co.uk
