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At ‘The Future of MedTech – Innovating for Tomorrow’ conference, Alexandra Hammond, Associate Director for Net Zero & Sustainable Procurement at NHS England, delivered the second part of a talk titled ‘Building a Sustainable Future through Responsible Procurement’.
Hosted by the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) and AXREM, the conference took place on 13 May 2025 at The Mercure, Northampton.
The first part of the talk was delivered by Chris Taylor, Sustainability Lead UKI at Philips Health Systems.
Alexandra provided an in-depth look at how NHS England is embedding sustainability, social value, and modern slavery prevention into its procurement practices, all in support of the NHS’ broader net zero ambitions.
Alexandra began by highlighting that 66 percent of the NHS’ carbon footprint lies within its supply chain, positioning sustainable procurement as a powerful tool in the journey towards net zero. Her team’s mandate focuses on sustainable procurement and supply chains, while also driving social value and tackling modern slavery.
She reminded attendees of the NHS’ clear commitment: by the end of this decade, it will no longer work with suppliers who are not aligned with its net zero goals. To support this, the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap lays out a series of milestones, several of which are already in place. These include embedding social value in all procurements and requiring suppliers to provide a carbon reduction plan.
From 2027, suppliers will be expected to expand the scope of their carbon reporting, with additional requirements on product-level emissions and disclosure coming in 2028. Alexandra emphasised that these future milestones are still in development and urged suppliers to take part in shaping the final policies.
A key enabler of the NHS’ sustainability work, Alexandra noted, is the National Procurement Policy Statement, published on 13 February 2025. This policy reinforces NHS England’s commitment to embedding net zero, social value, and ethical standards in procurement. Importantly, it aligns with wider government priorities for the public sector, including building an NHS for the future, kickstarting economic growth, and making the UK a clean energy superpower.
Alexandra explained that the statement is more than just guidance – it provides a formal basis for public sector organisations, including NHS bodies, to adopt procurement practices that reflect environmental and social priorities. It marks a shift from policy aspiration to concrete expectation.
Alexandra reassured suppliers that NHS England will take a proportionate, clear, and collaborative approach, with plenty of notice before implementing new policies. She noted that NHS England is listening closely to supplier feedback.
She also pointed to the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment, hosted within the NHS Atamis e-procurement system, as a key tool for dialogue between the NHS and suppliers on sustainability. This tiered assessment enables suppliers to track and improve their maturity level on sustainability issues, without duplicating information across multiple systems.
Beyond net zero, Alexandra spoke about the evolving expectations around social value. The government’s updated procurement priorities now include building a future-ready NHS, alongside themes such as clean energy, economic growth, and inclusion.
New regulations on modern slavery are also on the horizon, with NHS England working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that supply chains are fair, ethical, and transparent. Procurement will play a central role in embedding these requirements across the health system.
For BHTA members, Alexandra’s message was one of opportunity and urgency. The NHS is committed to supporting suppliers, including SMEs, with tools, guidance, and access to events and on-demand resources such as emissions verification webinars and updates on science-based targets.
Alexandra concluded with a strong call to action for suppliers: engage with the NHS on these changes, make use of the Evergreen tool, and help co-design the future of sustainable procurement.
Insights from ‘Building a Sustainable Future through Responsible Procurement’ by Chris Taylor, Sustainability Lead UKI at Philips Health Systems
At ‘The Future of MedTech – Innovating for Tomorrow’, a joint conference hosted by the BHTA and AXREM on 13 May 2025 at The Mercure, Northampton, Chris Taylor, Sustainability Lead UKI at Philips Health Systems, delivered the first part of a compelling talk titled ‘Building a Sustainable Future through Responsible Procurement’.
His message to suppliers in the healthcare and medtech sector was clear: the journey to NHS net zero cannot be travelled alone, and suppliers play a critical role.
Chris began by setting the scene. As a planet, we are consuming resources at an unsustainable rate: 1.7 earths’ worth annually and climbing. Healthcare contributes significantly to environmental pressures through emissions, waste, and material use. The NHS, for instance, emits 125kg of CO₂ per hospital bed per day. Chris highlighted the growing evidence linking climate change with human health outcomes, calling on suppliers to act in unison to help tackle this challenge.
With 71 percent of the NHS’ emissions falling under scope 3 – those generated across its supply chain – Chris emphasised that suppliers are central to achieving the NHS’ net zero ambitions.
To support this, Philips partnered with the University of Exeter to produce a report, which highlights how suppliers can reduce material consumption and embed sustainable practices. The report breaks down actions into three areas: understanding the challenge, setting clear targets, and making tangible changes.
Key takeaways for suppliers:
In closing, Chris encouraged BHTA and AXREM members to see sustainability not as a compliance burden, but as an innovation opportunity. By aligning with the NHS net zero roadmap and embracing circular economy principles, suppliers can lead the way in building a healthier, more resilient future for both people and the planet.
On 13 May 2025, the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA), in coordination with AXREM, hosted a conference about the future of medtech, offering valuable and informative talks for attendees.
‘The Future of MedTech: Innovating for Tomorrow’ brought together BHTA and AXREM members to hear from senior leaders and experts from across the NHS, DHSC, MHRA, and more to explore the latest advancements and strategies in medtech.
Taking place at the Mercure Northampton, delegates had the chance to network with industry peers, get involved in engaging panel discussions, and learn about some of the most important topics in the medtech sector today.
Engaging presentations throughout the day included topics on sustainable procurement, how suppliers can meet the NHS’ net zero targets, the economic outlook for UK manufacturers, the future regulatory framework for the UK medtech sector, the DHSC’s upcoming work on building a MedTech Compass, and more.
Speakers throughout the day were:
The Future of MedTech conference has received positive feedback from attendees.
Shona Macdonald, Director of Market Access & Reimbursement, UKI, at Convatec, commented: “The BHTA and AXREM conference proved to be a highly relevant and extremely interesting agenda. It provided me with an invaluable opportunity for networking and engagement with stakeholders and peers.
“I was particularly encouraged to hear that collaboration with industry through the NHS transformative changes is both invited and welcomed by the system.”
David Dawson, Market Access Director, UK/Ireland for BD, said: “I found the BHTA conference both interesting and informative. The varied subject matter and speakers provided a good mix of important issues. I especially enjoyed the afternoon presentations and panel discussion.”
Diane Hargrove, Sales Director at BES Healthcare, stated: “I thought the quality of the speakers was excellent, and it was refreshing to hear that there seemed to be an understanding of some of the real challenges that face industry in bringing new innovative technologies through to the healthcare market.”
Richard Holland-Oakes, Co-Founder and CEO of Recare, noted: “Certain parts of the day were very interesting with the NHS and social services and the government finally trying to work together.
“I must say it appeared the presentation to be more hospital-related savings with the AXREM companies rather than the companies of BHTA and the products of which you support, NHS/community and the private sector and of which our products are bespoke to the individuals requirements, and of these products that are prescribed from the hospital environment for home use is a hard to manage and deliver a better service and savings without changing this structure that is in place at present. But it can be done!”