Procurement Improvement and Development Manager Review
at NHS
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Business Operations
Norwich
Review Submitted: February 2022
Overall Rating
4.3 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
4/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
My current role as a procurement manager involves the sourcing and purchase of service required to support the Trusts clinical operations. There is various sourcing processes i use regularly ranging from spot purchases to full tender processes. Another key element of my role is having a strategic overview of the services and product landscape with a long term view as well as acting as point of escalation to operational managers
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I have greatly enjoyed my programme as I was able to meet many people from other industries and gain an insight into their experiences and challenges. Certain challenges are universal across both public and private sectors as well as industry types. I was also fortunate to have two very good tutors throughout the program who were knowledgeable and supportive.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I have learnt a lot in this role as previously I was a contract manager, both my apprenticeship and job role have allowed me to learn about the public procurement regulations and how this affect the tasks I undertake daily and the parameters I am required to work within. The classroom learning has allowed me to back up my practical experiences with the appropriate theories and vice versa
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
The program was relatively well structured after some initial problems, this was due to the pandemic hitting as we started and needing to move all of classroom sessions online. we received all resources for sessions in a timely manner and received constructive feedback from our tutors on submitted homework and ongoing projects.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
Both my employer and line manager have been very supportive through my learning journey. I have had regulars catchups once a month with the Trusts education and training team, where we discuss how things are going and any support I may need. My line manager has been both encouraging and motivating through out and has helped me correlate theory and job realty together.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
Plenty of support has been provided by the provider, this has taken the form of regular 1 to 1 sessions with my course leader to discuss my progress and areas of difficulty and items form improvement. When areas of improvement have been identified I have been signposted to areas of specialist support. The provider has also ensured regular contact with me to ensure we have been ok during the pandemic.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
Without undertaking this qualification i would have been able to apply and be offered my current role, so this qualification has certainly opened doors for me. Essentially without it I couldn't do this job. I hope that this level 4 qualification shall be bedrock of learning for me as i hope to undertake both level 5 and level 6 of these in due course
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
3/5
Due to the pandemic there has been limited opportunities to get involved in these types of actvities however things are beginning to open up again, this includes access to Trust gyms which I shall certainly be accessing as well as a football and rounders team which meets regularly. Having joined the trust during the pandemic i hope that this will help meet more colleagues and build conducive working relationships with them.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend NHS to a friend?
Yes
Why?
The trust have been really supportive both with agreeing to allow me to continue my studies which was started at another employer. Both my line manager and the education and training development have been encouraging and pushed me to develop my skills learnt from my qualifications to my daily role. My team have also helped me when needing to gain input and opinions on research elements I have had to undertake.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to NHS?
In terms of advice, at the application stage I would try to ensure that you hit as many of the essential criteria as possible to allow your application to be considered. Think a little out of the box in terms of cross applicability of your experiences and previous employments. For interviews be yourself, managers want to have people who will fit within their existing teams and work well together. Always be on time to the interview and when answering questions try to give as many practical experiences of your own of how you can answer the question.
