FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
By Richard Maddison, Public Affairs, Market Access & Strategic Health Manager, Essity
In healthcare environments, balancing cost control, hygiene standards, and sustainability goals is increasingly complex, with rising demands for care, a stretched workforce and an increasingly urgent need to cut carbon and waste. Yet many healthcare facilities are under increasing pressure to save money, meaning procurement decisions still prioritise short-term savings over long-term value, overlooking the broader impact a product or service can have across its lifecycle.
Value-based procurement offers a way forward. Shifting the focus from unit price to the total impact of a purchase – including its effect on patient outcomes (also mitigating the need for repeat appointments), operational efficiency, staff wellbeing, retention, and environmental footprint, can address multiple challenges at once. This approach does not demand complex overhauls of current practices, but rather a shift in mindset and belief that facilities managers and procurement teams can apply to everyday purchasing decisions.
Breaking away from a short-term savings culture is the biggest challenge. In hygiene-critical areas, disposable products are, understandably, often the default choice because they seem cheaper and quicker at face value. Yet such products embed inefficiencies, add to workloads, and increase waste. For a sector where cleanliness, infection prevention, and patient dignity are non-negotiable, the goal must be to implement solutions that maintain clinical standards while also reducing waste, costs, and strain on staff.
Take wound care, for example. Lower-cost dressings can seem economical at first, but if they require frequent changes or fail to prevent complications, the hidden costs mount quickly – from additional nursing time and extended patient stays to greater volumes of waste requiring specialist disposal. In our experience, higher-quality options can reduce the need for reapplications, free up clinical time, and even cut infection rates in some cases. Though sometimes a higher upfront cost, the investment delivers long-term savings and a sustainable solution for hospitals and GP practices.
Reducing repetitive tasks like frequent dressing changes eases staff’s physical and mental load. In an environment where retention is a growing concern, procurement decisions that improve working conditions and free up time can have a direct impact on morale and job satisfaction.
To make this shift, facilities managers in hospitals and GP surgeries will need to help bridge the gap between procurement and clinical teams. Too often, those best placed to assess real-world performance are involved too late, risking choices that meet budget targets but undermine workflow, quality, or patient experience. Building structured engagement with clinical teams into procurement processes ensures that hygiene and medical products are chosen not only for their price, but for their practical effectiveness and contribution to wider organisational goals.
If procurement in the healthcare sector continues to focus on immediate savings, it will keep absorbing hidden costs in wasted staff hours, avoidable waste disposal, and preventable patient harm. By contrast, a value-based approach can transform routine purchasing into a tool for better hygiene, smarter resource use, stronger staff retention, and measurable environmental progress.
The NHS’ “fit for the future” 10-year health plan has already underlined the need for a fundamentally different approach to procurement, recognising that too often the service has focused on lowest price rather than best outcomes. To change this, value-based payment models are being piloted and, from next year, standard guidance on value-based procurement for devices and digital products will be introduced – a clear signal of the shift in mindset now taking place across the service.
The first steps for medical FMs are to evaluate products based on their cost across the patient care lifecycle, bring clinical voices into the conversation early, and recognise that the most sustainable, efficient solution is often the one that delivers the greatest value over time – not the lowest price on paper.
