Page 60 - BHTA 100 years

One example was when Huntleigh Nesbit Evans won a tender for ‘Home Loan activity’ for Oxfordshire Social Services. However, there was a degree of controversy as many of the indirect suppliers to Oxfordshire found themselves to be direct competitors to the new buying agent. As a result, the next meeting of the Rehabilitation Products Section had been brought forward and a larger room had been booked. The item in the Bulletin signs off with – ‘The meeting should be interesting!’
When it took place, the meeting was described as ‘probably the most robust ever held’. Over 40 companies were there with Mark Ball, Director and General Manager of HNE Community Care, explaining the process of the contract award, after which he was ‘rigorously questioned’.
Clearly members felt that this was a serious issue as letters on the subject were written to the President of the Board of Trade, Cabinet Ministers, all MPs and most of the Health & Social Service Authorities in the UK. The result was, that not only was the Oxfordshire contract investigated by the Of ce of Fair Trading, but so was the whole supply of disability aids to the community care market. The OFT recommendation was that no action
should be taken.
Chairman of the Rehabilitation Products Section, Sten Chesser, wrote: “We learnt that rather than reject the changes inherent in contracting out, we could appreciate with time not only would the elderly and disabled bene t from signi cant improvements in the level of service provided, but that the volume of products delivered into the marketplace will also signi cantly increase to the advantage of all suppliers to the contract.”
150 members attended the AGM at the Hilton Hotel in London. Nick Brown MP gave what Chairman Philip Salt described as ‘a fascinating account of the Labour Party’s plans for the NHS’.
“Memories from...Philip Salt
“Chairing the Association is an
extraordinarily stimulating but dif cult thing to do as the majority
of the people you are dealing with
are at the top of their game in their business and so you have a wonderful generator of ideas. It is impossible
to use them all as there are so
many. I found it very fascinating and educational getting to know all the other Sections and saw that the bene t of cross-fertilisation of ide”as was very powerful.”
BHTA 100 years