ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a research project that investigated the problems associated with supplying the British National Health Service with the goods and services it requires. A study confined to health services supplies would lack opportunities for comparison, appraisal and the project has therefore compared the NHS supply situation with that in one large private firm, one local government authority, one nationalised industry, and with the hospital supply situation in France and West Germany. Most of the twenty-three collaborating organisations were visited once every three months, first to discuss the general supplies situation then to investigate particular problems identified at earlier interviews by observation and discussion. The Institute of Purchasing and Public Supplies has for many years led the way in the training of managers concerned with purchasing, and it publishes useful journals. The loyalty and energy that most people concerned with NHS supplies devote to their work is outstanding, especially when much of it must be repetitive and dull.
