Did you know that hackers hit a whopping 81% of all healthcare organisations in the UK in 2021?

The bad news doesn’t stop there. As our world slowly moves many of its operations into the digital sphere, the attack vectors are increasing tenfold. Data breaches increased by 68% in 2021, and the trend is only on the rise.

The NHS is making big strides with its online booking and NHS app, and yet this progress gives hackers more opportunities to compromise healthcare. Healthcare professionals must adopt rigorous cyber security solutions now. When ransomware threatens to steal confidential records and payment information, the cost of failure is higher than ever.

Healthcare cyber security is more important than ever, but luckily there are solutions to stop hackers in their tracks. In this article, you’ll learn about the healthcare challenges associated with increased cyber attacks, and what we can do.

What Unique Cyber Security Issues in Healthcare Affect This Industry?

The challenges in healthcare give hackers many ways to infiltrate and steal data. It makes healthcare cyber security specialised compared to the typical IT needs of other businesses.

For starters, healthcare is a treasure trove for hackers. It includes personal information and payment information that sells for a premium on the dark net. A user can change their password at any time, but it’s impossible for them to change sensitive personal medical data.

Further, this high-value information is often time-sensitive. Hackers know that they can demand exorbitant sums with ransomware because hospitals and clinics cannot delay. Some of this information is needed to deliver timely, crucial treatment to patients.

To take this further, cyber security challenges in healthcare can lead to the loss of innocent lives. In some cases, hackers can shut down the operations of a hospital for hours or even days. When an emergency room needs these systems to be operational, innocent people could die while waiting.

Finally, healthcare compliance is crucial. A hack could lead to your failure to comply with HIPAA and other security and privacy rules. Lack of compliance leads to a lack of trust with customers, which in turn only soils the service healthcare can provide.

Healthcare is a pivotal component of our society. Cyber security issues in healthcare could cause significant damage.

There’s an adage in the cyber security industry: it’s not a matter of if they hack you, but when. Healthcare providers that are prepared for the onslaught of cyber threats will fare better when that inevitable day comes.

Online Patient Databases

It used to be that patient records were stored on paper, on-site. However, in the modern era, most of these doctor/patient agreements and treatment plans are stored online. Rather than filling out paperwork, many patients do it all on their phones beforehand.

This amazing convenience means that hackers can gain access to this vital information with greater ease. For the reasons illustrated above, this can prove to be a terrifying weakness in the system.

Using the best practice can avoid these headaches. This includes storing medical records in encrypted form, limiting permissions to access them, and following privacy guidelines.

Medical Devices Connected to the IoT (Internet of Things)

The internet of things is a shorthand for the smart devices that make up our everyday life. This can be anything from a digital doorbell with a camera, to an air conditioner that you can control with your phone. These devices talk to each other and allow the free flow of data and coordination between disparate systems.

IoT in the medical industry has been a game-changer. It allows doctors to measure hundreds of patients from afar, with wearables and other monitoring devices that report changes and treatment reminders. Further, IoT allows for improved home care of the elderly.

In a hospital, this can handle everything from asset tracking (wheelchairs, defib units, etc.) to controlling the spread of infectious diseases.

IoT means that the attack surface for hackers has expanded exponentially. Instead of one single infiltration point, a hacker has hundreds of potential infil points. If the IT team failed to upgrade the firmware on a single wearable, that could be all a hacker needs to compromise the system.

Since the IoT is all about interconnectivity and interoperability, that means, compromising one system gives you access to them all. Rigorous cyber security solutions are key to ensuring all these potential holes are patched.

Telehealth and Mobile Health

The pandemic saw the rise of long-distance healthcare. This prevents the spread of infection, keeps sick or injured people at home, and reduces the crowding at the doctor’s office.

This also means that hackers can interrupt this sensitive process. Using end-to-end encryption, two-factor authentication, and other techniques can reduce hackers’ influence in this area.

Tips for Cyber Security in Healthcare Industry

Sometimes the best things you can do are the simplest. Here are a few easy tips anyone can employ to improve their organisational cyber security:

• Update all software, operating systems, and firmware in a timely manner
• Update passwords on a regular basis with strong, long passphrases
• Use two-factor authentication to reduce credential theft
• Train staff to recognise scams such as phishing emails
• Limit credentials to trusted staff alone
• Resort to experts to customise a solution for your organisation

It’s important to note here that solutions to healthcare cyber security don’t need to be disruptive. They won’t reduce the quality of care, and they’ll save you from a lot of headaches in the long run. The NHS can and should improve the care it provides by bolstering it with top-of-the-line cyber security.

Protect Your Patient Information

Cyber security is no longer an option in healthcare, it’s a necessity. Cyber attacks are only on the rise, and those who fail to prepare will suffer severe consequences. Luckily, there is a great deal that your organisation can do to nip these attacks in the bud.

Cyber security challenges in healthcare are increasing with every passing year. Get in contact with experts who specialise in the healthcare industry to build your battle plan for when hackers come knocking.

Friday 1 July sees Integrated Care Systems take over from Clinical Commissioning Groups – one of the most significant changes in NHS procurement for many years.

The change will see 42 new ICSs established across England who will provide collaborative healthcare within their designated area. The new ICS model sees health and care services joined up across regions, with local authorities working together with healthcare providers, GP teams, hospitals, and other partners to improve services and deliver better outcomes for people who live and work in their area.

The journey

The journey to deliver joined up health care service has been several years in the making, with the NHS setting out its vision for the future in 2014. Partners began working to bring Integrated Care Systems to fruition in 2016, with the first models emerging in 2018 and NHS England working closely with them to pioneer best practice.

The Purpose

The purpose of ICSs is to bring partner organisations together to:

• improve outcomes in population health and healthcare
• tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access
• enhance productivity and value for money
• help the NHS support broader social and economic development.

New initiatives

Boosting health checks in the community to find people with health problems before they become seriously unwell is a key goal of the shift to integrated care systems.

New initiatives being implemented through the systems include a GP practice in Stockport which is going into betting shops to deliver blood pressure checks, identifying and preventing hypertension issues before people end up in hospital.

In Coventry and North Warwickshire, a local sports club offers diabetes and weight management support, taking referrals from GP teams but also reaching out to people in the local area they think might be most at-risk. People can receive tailored one to one diet and lifestyle support, and access to the club’s gym facilities.

And thanks to these local authority partnerships in Bedfordshire, patients who frequently call 999 but do not need emergency help are given alternative “lifesaving” support in their community, ensuring peoples’ needs are met as well as freeing up staff time to deal with emergency calls.

Saving lives and reducing costs

The changes are set to save an estimated £14M each year by reducing the number of chief executives working in the NHS by almost 170.

New systems are already proving to be an effective tool in tackling the covid backlogs, with eight systems reducing two-year waiters to single figures ahead of the end of July target. Nationally, there are 70% fewer two-year waiters than in January.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “Integrated care systems have the power to truly transform the way that we care for people up and down the country – not only will the NHS provide care when someone is unwell or has an accident but alongside our local government partners, we must also now play an increasing key role in managing peoples’ health so that we can catch more killer conditions earlier and save lives.

“Local areas are already doing this by going out into communities to spot signs and symptoms earlier in places such as sports clubs and betting shops as well as ensuring people can access community support rather than using 999 or going to A&E.

“Through these schemes, we are already making a massive difference to peoples’ lives. The NHS will now build on this success and innovation and deliver care for patients that is fit for the future as well as saving taxpayers’ millions of pounds each year”.

What does this mean for you and how HCI can help

The HCI research team have been busy updating our extensive NHS contacts database with details of the 42 new ICS organisations and the staff who will be working within them.

Our research is meticulous – after all, this is much more than a public sector re-branding exercise. New organisations, new roles, new responsibilities and new routes to engagement – it’s a major change that any business supplying to the NHS needs to be across.

We’ll be publishing transition updates on the HCI website and will provide further insights into the changes and what they mean for the NHS supply chain.

Interested in finding out more about what HCI can do for you?

Book a demonstration today and explore the world of opportunity in regard to healthcare tendering.

This year, the UK government signed the Health and Care Act 2022. The bill captured the attention of the public eye for its implications for a privatised health service.

Over 1 million people work under the NHS. The British Medical Association estimates that independent service providers carry out 5.2% of NHS-funded treatments.

They report that health care contractors became an integral part of NHS services during the pandemic. But, while there are benefits to outsourcing health care, there are also many dangers.

This article will discuss what NHS privatisation could mean for health care contractors.

Let’s dive in!

What is the new Health and Care Act 2022

In coordination with the King’s Trust, an independent government adviser, the act aims to create an “integrated care system” (ICS).

The current NHS system works under clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Wherein NHS services were managed and held accountable by a local governing body. Under the new bill, these will be replaced with smaller ICS groups.

The move formalises relationships with collaborative partners. Using the ICS model, local services will now need to join with a private service provider.

These lead providers will take the role of outsourcing NHS services where they see fit. The lead providers themselves will only answer to the NHS England commissioner.

Advantages and disadvantages of NHS privatisation

On the one hand, privately outsourcing NHS providers could increase the scale and efficiency of national services.

Contrary to popular belief, the NHS has always involved public and private provisions. In fact, the vast majority of GPs providing NHS services are independent contractors.

Under the 1946 NHS Act, local practices operate as their own business entities. The government supplements them based on how many NHS patients registered with them.

But, they are still private employees. This had benefits, such as:

• Increased public services
• Better employee benefits
• Expanded patient coverage
• Reduced waiting times

But, the increased privatisation of the NHS suggested by the new bill also has disadvantages. For starters, by cutting down local NHS oversight, there’s less transparency.

Private companies don’t have to meet the same accountability standards as public service contractors.

We also see:

• Increasing expenses going towards private services and away from public funding
• Less continuity for patients
• More competition for healthcare contractors
• Gives private providers the power to terminate services it deems unprofitable

For healthcare contractors, this can mean a loss of employment. Not to mention less financial stability and a potentially unregulated market where they compete to win NHS contracts.

Moreover, it removes many of the safeguards on which those contracts are founded. For instance, adequate pay, healthcare and contracted hours.

A lack of transparency not only disadvantages patients. But under NHS privatisation, workers have less protection against unfair employment practices.

What does the future hold for healthcare contractors under NHS privatisation?

The government has begun an NHS recovery plan backing the new Health and Care Act. This plan is designed to manage the treatment backlog that accumulated during the pandemic.

It also covers expanding workforce capacity. Not least by creating a more sustainable system for future staffing.

In a 2022 parliament debate, MP Matt Vickers stated:

“The Government have no democratic mandate to privatise the NHS, which is why they are doing no such thing. Access to NHS services will continue to be based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay.”

But, their plan suggests somewhat of a contradiction. On the one hand, it advocates using collaborative partnerships with private providers. Whilst also calling for reducing agency workers.

Independent contractors are a fundamental part of the plan. They can sit on lead provider boards which influence local strategy. Yet, they also are not permitted to directly influence local decision-making.

Some have argued that the new act will create a “pay for play” system. The NHS’s authority will become increasingly centralised as actual services are fragmented.

The arguments continue regarding whether the new bill will improve or deprive the healthcare sector.

But, one thing remains clear: Healthcare contractors need to prepare themselves for the new role they’ll play in the future of the NHS. Regardless of the level of privatisation.

How can healthcare contractors prepare for NHS privatisation?

Firstly, with the growth of private healthcare, NHS contracts will become increasingly competitive. Between 2019 and 2020, the NHS spent £9.7 billion on services delivered by the private sector.

This reflects a 7.2% budget devoted to private care providers. Some include social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations. Yet, the vast majority went to independent service providers.

Healthcare contractors working for these organisations are more likely to succeed in bids for NHS contracts. Not least because they often have more resources to compete.

Winning NHS contract bids is a matter of early engagement. As well as being able to meet NHS stipulations of the tender contract.

Getting ahead

For the best possible chance at success, healthcare contractors need to know the dynamics of the healthcare market (including the potential for NHS privatisation).

They must be able to proactively seek out market and contract opportunities. Whilst simultaneously knowing how to reach contract requirements.

To do this, independent businesses need to be aware of the latest data in the UK procurement market. This includes market analysis, contact pipelines and leads.

There’s no denying that healthcare leaders of tomorrow will use the events of the COVID-19 pandemic as a marker for future innovation.

The pandemic was, in many respects, an incredible feat of rapid response, with doctors, medical professionals, scientists and more uniting to beat a new deadly virus – but the events of the last two years have placed incomparable strains on the global healthcare system.

Despite reported failings across the board, the overall response to the pandemic was incredible. As a sector, healthcare demonstrated impeccable resilience considering the unique situation it found itself in – tackling the everyday challenges of treating patients, while simultaneously weathering the storm associated with tackling a virus with, initially, no known treatments, together with supply chain issues, staff shortages, and financial difficulties.

Perhaps more impressive, while negotiating all of this, the healthcare sector was also continuing to innovate successfully.

What the experts have said

According to the IMF: “While the rapid and unprecedented collapse of production, trade, and employment may be reversed as the pandemic eases, historical data suggest that long-term economic consequences could persist for a generation or more”

Potentially, the healthcare sector could suffer as much, if not more, than other areas of the economy due to the intensity of its focus on tackling successive waves of COVID-19 while also struggling with the other challenges outlined above.

A report by McKinsey & Company titled Industry innovation: How has COVID-19 changed global healthcare? mentions how “cost pressures on healthcare systems will likely increase in the coming years due to growing health demands and macroeconomic challenges and this will require thoughtful prioritization and balancing of initiatives across the short and longer term.”

That got us thinking. With the inherent financial difficulties faced by the National Health Service, once the pandemic has been successfully negotiated, will future innovations be placed on hold while recuperation of losses is made?

Here, we delve into what we can expect of a sector which prides itself on continually innovating in a world beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

An already stretched NHS

On 18^th February, Martha Gill wrote in the Evening Standard: “…these crises are expensive, too. Staff gaps are plugged by costly locum doctors. Mistakes made by exhausted staff can result in patients suing the hospital. Patching up the ward’s infrastructure after it breaks costs more than sorting it out in time. In short, giving the NHS just enough to keep it running above the waterline is a false economy – and only keeps it lurching from crisis to crisis.”

Ms Gill’s comments follow those of Chris Hopson, NHS Providers Chief Executive, who recently issued a ‘stark warning’ that the NHS’ waiting list ‒ already 5.3 million in May 2021 ‒ is very likely to continue to grow after the pandemic has settled as patients come forward for treatment who had held back during the crisis.

Hopson said: “Nobody in the NHS would want a waiting list of this size, but what’s happened is we’ve had two problems. Firstly, insufficient capacity in the NHS after a decade of the longest and deepest squeeze financial squeeze in NHS history…and then this huge disruption over the COVID period.”

What lies ahead is incredible uncertainty, particularly with the Government failing to back a plan to tackle NHS staff shortages. Combine difficulties associated with sourcing overseas workers thanks to Brexit and what the healthcare sector is left with, despite relatively high numbers of people entering training, is a number of years of continuing to weather this rather choppy storm with many staff already exhausted after two years treating COVID patients.

Something has to give

2021 was a fantastic year for innovation in healthcare. The COVID-19 vaccine was developed, if you didn’t already know, 3D heart scans and the revolutionary technology that facilitates them was rolled out across the NHS, while miniature capture cameras were brought into usage to help identify early signs of cancer. These are just a minute sample of what was brought to the table.

Although more than £13 billion of NHS debt was written off back in 2020 by then Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has promised an additional £12 billion to the NHS each year through a 1.25 per cent increase in National Insurance, is it going to be enough? Enough to fill staff vacancies, repair buildings and, above all, treat the millions of people on waiting lists?

It looks as if something else will be forced to suffer for the NHS to catch up with the backlog left by COVID and if it isn’t, once again, the staff, then it’s likely that the inspiring innovation within the system will take a hit.

That said, journalist Ross Clark has put together a ‘blue-print’ of how he believes the necessary £12 billion can be raised without hiking taxes, successfully alleviating stress on the NHS.

In his plan, Clark highlights that patients spend significantly longer in UK hospitals compared to our European neighbours, while a hyper-dependency on agency staff, erratic spending on medical supplies, and unproductive use of the NHS estate, all contribute to the rather daunting bill.

Medical equipment supply was one area which received particular attention during the pandemic – sourcing PPE from what has been more commonly referred to as “VIP lane” suppliers (a decision which has now been ruled as illegal) resulted in over the odds pricing while poor stock control saw thousands of masks and respirators wasted.

Innovation offers potential solutions to some of these problems, whether in the form of new, less invasive treatments that require shorter hospital stays, more precise testing that detects disease at an earlier stage when treatment is simpler and less expensive or in less glamorous ways such as more efficient stocktaking, reordering and aggregated purchasing. All these very different innovations can, after initial outlay, save money and improve efficiency, both of which are key goals for the NHS at present. However, whether such innovations are implemented or put on the back burner depends on whether decision makers choose to ‘spend to save’ or to rely on traditional methods.

There are certainly a number of areas of the NHS which require attention and, despite what may feel like the end of the pandemic for many of us on a day-to-day level, the healthcare sector will feel the effects for years to come. The areas of the sector which will be hit hardest by the inevitable financial pinching are yet to be seen but, there are definite improvements to be made.

When discussing ‘healthcare innovation’, the World Health Organization explains that “health innovation improves efficiency, effectiveness, quality, sustainability, safety, and affordability.”

Healthcare is continually changing and adapting – and so, innovation can be hard to quantify but, if we can recognise some form of tangible benefits being felt by the patients and, similarly, the field as a whole, then the NHS is certainly moving in the right direction.

If you want to find out more about NHS contracts and what they could mean for your business, get in touch with HCI today for a free trial.

Thanks to advances in smart phone technology coinciding with gym closures caused by lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, smart watches and alternative wearable health devices transitioned from something of a “novelty toy” to an important aspect of everyday life.

Depending on the device, model, and manufacturer, these devices have the capability to measure blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, ECG, and even heart rhythm irregularities.

Dr Gero Baidara, Clinical Director of GPDQ, speaking about the role of these devices during the pandemic noted: “This year, in particular the ability to read one’s oxygen saturation, heart rate, and temperature has been invaluable in monitoring whether or not the wearer is suffering from symptoms of COVID-19.”

While we may not be at a stage where we can transfer all trust about our medical safety to digital technologies, there is no denying these devices are carving out a future for themselves within the healthcare sector, and with good reason too. With that in mind, in this blog we explore whether wearable technology can successfully alleviate stress in the healthcare sector and ultimately assist it in preparing for the unexpected?

Health has gone digital

According to medical-advicenetwork.com there were 350,000 digital health apps on the market in 2021– that number was up 90,000 on the previous year. It should come as no surprise that people want to know about their health, particularly when it’s easy to find out, and doesn’t involve visiting the doctor.

But, what about the NHS? Are they calling upon the help of these services in the same way as the general public?

Some hospitals have already been utilising the capabilities of wearable devices for quite some time, issuing them to patients with diabetes so they can actively monitor their health stats.

The Freestyle Libre device has been available on the NHS for almost three years now. Similar in size to a £2 coin, this device measures glucose levels and relays essential information to an e-reader or smartphone so users can receive real-time findings, allowing them to take action when necessary.

As for the global wearable medical devices market, well, it’s growing exponentially. As of 2019, the largest market by region was in the US & North America however Central Europe is anticipated to speed past their Trans-Atlantic counterparts over the course of the next decade, fuelling a market growth rate of almost 20%.

A global market analysis report details how: “the rising popularity of connected devices and the Internet of Things (IoT) and the rapid growth of the technologically literate population globally are anticipated to fuel the demand for wearable technology over the forecast timeframe.”

Source: P&S Intelligence

How the pandemic highlighted a need for change

The first thing worth noting is the sheer volume of individuals now using digital healthcare technology to assist them with their regular healthcare needs. By the end of 2021 there were, for instance, more than 22 million active users of the NHS App.

In July 2021, the NHS reported that more than 50,000 people had registered organ donor preferences on the app during June while more than 600,000 prescriptions and 50,000 GP appointments were requested. While patients were actively prompted to use the digital platform, it could be said that the British public have actually become more accepting of technology’s place in their healthcare, and so now is the time to implement more.

A scheme in Northwest London called ‘wearables’ was used during the pandemic to analyse the condition of people who were quarantining before or after travelling abroad alongside healthcare workers who weren’t able to isolate at home. The scheme “collected the vital signs of people quarantining and round-the-clock data was monitored by a trained team.”

The technology involved varied. “Medical grade wearables can be as simple as a sensor that measures a single variable, such as a photoplethysmography. Others are more complex pieces of hardware worn around the arm or as a patch on the chest, that gather a selection of vital signs, with information typically relayed to clinicians for monitoring or analysis.”

The scheme was able to reduce the strain on the healthcare sector by limiting otherwise unavoidable transmission of COVID-19 and reducing use of PPE, which reached dangerously low stockpiles levels due to ongoing issues with supply chain and manufacturing.

In many respects, the scheme was a roaring success and emphasised just how much wearable technology has to offer an incredibly stretched healthcare provider.

Pritesh Mistry, Policy Team at The King’s Find, added: “Wearable devices can give a level of reassurance when people are being treated remotely that they’re not in danger.”

Perhaps the biggest stand-out feature of these devices is their ability to measure, record, and analyse round the clock and alert medical professionals when signs of concern or danger are reached.

NHS plans for wearable devices

Back in 2019 the NHS released the “Long Term Plan” which highlighted the healthcare service’s vision to implement digital devices across the board in a bid to limit hospital admissions and protect and reassure those who are being cared for remotely.

It also gave a view to the different types of NHS contracts suppliers can go on to win.

At present, the use of wearable devices remains minimal and is limited to certain areas of the country, perhaps because introducing such rapid developments during a period of such catastrophic turbulence as the pandemic would have been almost impossible. However, as we navigate the period ahead when it is clear that there will be continuing strain on the NHS, particularly hospitals, as they try to catch up with the backlog of procedures delayed by the pandemic whilst also dealing with intermittent COVID surges and exhausted staff, perhaps now is the best time to invest in options that will limit the strain on personnel and services.

A January 2019 report by the National Audit Office on NHS financial sustainability concluded that:

“The growth in waiting lists, the slippage in waiting times and the existence of substantial deficits in some parts of the system, offset by surpluses elsewhere, do not add up to a picture that we could describe as sustainable.”

The rapid introduction of wearable devices could reduce the need for routine and follow-up appointments while providing patients with reassurance that their condition is both stable and monitored, thereby enabling NHS resources to be focused on reducing waiting lists and providing urgent services.

It remains to be seen when and how the major introduction of wearable tech to the British healthcare system will occur. However, we are fairly confident its arrival will be in the not-too-distant future. With this arrival comes a rise in opportunity for a host of tech and software providers who are able to fulfil what are likely soon to be important healthcare contracts.

The Healthcare Sector, particularly in the UK, is awash with some of the most lucrative contract opportunities available.

Did you know that the NHS, which accounts for 80 per cent of total healthcare spend, is associated with £27 billion worth of annual spend?

The beauty of fulfilling public sector contracts, especially if we consider hospital contracts and healthcare supply, is that people will always require healthcare, and in order for the government to provide this, they will always need goods and services.

Looking ahead, the government has pledged to increase funding for the NHS while, also overhauling health and social care, all of which only spells good news for those working within the hospital and healthcare supply chain, with the number of opportunities set to grow steadily.

Between January and October 2021, the number of contract awards signed in the UK healthcare sector sat at more than 6,000. Awardees ranged from medical equipment supply businesses providing diagnostic technology to organisations delivering training programmes and energy efficiency consultancy – highlighting just how dynamic the range of opportunities within the healthcare supply market is.

However, for businesses considering putting themselves out there to win a public sector contract in healthcare, one of the biggest questions they need answered is: how do I win a healthcare supply contract? So, in this blog, we’re going to explore how to do it.

How to get a contract with a hospital or a healthcare provider

There are a number of things you need to be aware of when bidding for healthcare supply contracts and you should attempt to follow these if you aim to be successful.

Analyse tender structure

Are you confident that you know everything that the tender entails? Double check the ways in which the tender is structured and if different elements of the opportunity are grouped together. If this is the case, then be sure before completing your tender application that you’re able to fulfil what is required. Always read the tender documents and make sure you answer the questions they ask (not the ones you hope they will ask) before going on to offer extras or show the quality of your goods or services.

Patient care and protection through policies and procedures

The Department of Health and Social Care will do their utmost to ensure patient safety so they will need to be assured that your services aren’t going to impact the quality of care which they provide. This will mean a close check of your internal policies and procedures – are they up to date and are you carrying out regular training? If you aren’t at present, this may be something you wish to consider before submitting a tender application to become a healthcare or hospital contractor.

Prove your worth

If a tender response is going to succeed, it will need to be backed up by evidence to suggest that your organisation is capable of filling the position. Call upon previous customers for testimonials and build case studies using your previous work.

You need to stay ahead of your competition if you’re going to win healthcare and hospital contracts but, thanks to HCI, the hard part can be all but removed, through the help of AI & machine learning, industry expertise, the opportunity to engage early, and many other additional, exclusive features.

While you’re here, why not take a look at our blog detailing everything you need to know about the UK and Global healthcare market?

Request a demo today and start your journey to becoming the next healthcare supply contractor.