Critical Review: Operations, Logistics, and Supply Chain at the NHS

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of operations, logistics, and supply chain management within the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. It begins with an overview of the NHS, highlighting its structure and importance. The report then selects and explores two critical areas: managing quality, focusing on patient safety, clinical effectiveness, and patient experience; and logistics mixes, including channels, networks, transportation, inventory, and capacity management. A critical review of relevant operation, logistics, and supply chain management theories is presented, with a focus on Total Quality Management and the implementation of new technologies. The report discusses the application of these theories, providing examples and potential solutions for improvement. Finally, the report identifies potential areas for improvement, such as enhancing safety and security, improving inventory systems, and upgrading software and data usage. The report concludes with recommendations for optimizing the NHS's operations and supply chain for enhanced efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Understanding Operations,
Logistics and Supply Chain
Management

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Company Overview................................................................................................................1
Two selected area of operations and supply chain management............................................1
Critical review of relevant Operation, Logistics and Supply Chain Management theories.............3
Theories and techniques that should be applied.....................................................................3
Analytic discussion with relevant and similar example(s) and applying appropriate solutions of
Operations Management..................................................................................................................4
Potential area of improvements..............................................................................................4
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION...............................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Operations and management have their own importance in all business. This are the terms
which are used in order to run a business in better way. The chosen company for this report is
National Health Service (NHS) which is one of the public health services in UK and this health
service system is operates independently in all sector and also accountable for all the services.
The report critically reviews of relevant operations, logistics and supply chain management
theories and discuss with relevant and similar example through appropriate solutions and provide
recommendation in order to improve the area.
Company Overview
In UK, NHS is operating independently and they are liable to the relevant government. It is
basically a publicly funded national system of healthcare and is also entitled to be the biggest
single payer healthcare system. It has been originated in the year 1948 and is currently operating
with around 14, 00, 000 number of employees in total. Even in this country, there has been
increasing policy for the national health services and it can be difficult in order to find the
evidences of the effect but still in this hospital, there are many operations which needs to be
perfect in order to attract wide range of customers (Beaulieu, Roy and Landry, 2018). And this
are managing quality and logistics mix such as channels, networks, transportation and managing
inventory as well as capacity.
Two selected area of operations and supply chain management
For NHS there is two area selected and this are as shown below:
Managing Quality: In hospitals, it is the foremost requirement which needs to be take
care in proper way such that the quality of services which are provided to their patients should be
perfect and in well condition. For managing the quality of services for NHS is deal with the
three-quality care for all such as safety, clinical effectiveness and experience of their patients. It
has been analysed that managing quality is the main key aspect which needs to be manage as per
the time (Dias, Rocha and Viana, 2018). Managing quality is not only means to improve the
things as per the patient’s requirements but it also concern with the improvements in care plan
and the accuracy of the clinical record keeping, developing the records of electronic and also
shared the care plans. The managing quality also concern with restructuring and integrating the
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improved care pathways and the actions to support the people for their long-term conditions in
order to manage their condition in better way.
Logistics mixes such as channels, networks, transportation and managing inventory
as well as capacity: In NHS, another operation management and supply logistic chain
management is channels and networks which needs to be in well condition. If the channels and
network of the hospital is structured in well-mannered then it will be helpful for the company as
well in order to draw attention of many customers towards them. Logistics management is also
focus on inventory and transportation management. For example, in NHS the inventory
management is consider the old and mature field in the supply chain management. If the
inventory system is best and it will let people know about the stock then it will be helpful to
determine the exact goods are in stock and what needs to be managed.
Transportation is another field of which is consider in operational management and it has
been analysed that there is a remarkable growth in UK regarding the transportation facility. If the
shipment model for transportation is well structured then it will be helpful for the company to
maximizes their current business (Feibert, Andersen and Jacobsen, 2017). Hence, it has been
analysed that developing good infrastructure related to their framework is good and a well rail
truck intermodal transportation for their hazardous material are represent the current model.
Moreover, for NHS, UK also developing their new and well settled transportation as well as
inventory system and this also includes sea, road, air transport system. If this operation system is
in well condition then it will help a company and it is also necessary to create the condition for
improving the economic condition of the country and further help to increases the
competitiveness of their goods to decrease the transport cost for the transportation that deals with
road.
For NHS, it is quite necessary for the company to manage the operation as well as
logistic supply chain management system. Hence, it directly affects the company's overall
performance directly or indirectly. For example, if the management quality of the NHS is in
well-structured and transportation, inventory management system is also good then it will help a
company to maximizes their profit and their patients are also satisfied with their offered services.
Hence, if the company also applied different theories in order to improve the condition of their
services which are offered to their patients then it will be helpful for a firm to raise the sales and
improve the brand image in market (Gunasekaran and Subramanian, 2018).
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Critical review of relevant Operation, Logistics and Supply Chain
Management theories
Theories and techniques that should be applied
Theories and techniques are actually sued in order to improve the provided services for
the company. Similarly, in the case of NHS, there is a need to improve the services which are
offered to their patients and this can be done in many ways such as:
Total Quality Management: It is a tool that is actually used in many businesses such as
private sector, public sector and different hospitals also. In the health and care industry, this
technique is actually used in order to satisfy the customers and also to improve the quality of
hospitals as well as their productivity too. But there are so many difficulties are also found by
implementing the technique into the work area such as it creates problem for unique relationship
hospitals which have with the physicians and also creates conflicts between the hospitals
arrangements and creates difficulties in quality assurance programs (Total Quality Management,
2018). Therefore, total quality management is also considering the first quality-oriented
philosophy for the health care industry. Basically, it is based upon three principles, such as
continuous quality improvement, customer focused and the team work. If this thing is in proper
way then it will be helpful for NHS to improve the quality of offered services as well.
In the hospital sector, this term is also related to patient care and to the services which are
offered to their customers or a patient. If the quoted company uses this model into their working
area then it will be helpful to develop the long-term relationship with their external and internal
suppliers and also involve the staff who actually work in the prescribe system. In addition to this,
the model of TQM is also help to achieve the long-term improvement practices into their
working area. In addition to this, total quality management also help to measure the service
intangibility and performance heterogeneity as well as customer producer inseparability
(Longaray and et.al., 2018).
Implementing new and advance technology in hospitals: in NHS, it is quite necessary
for implementing new techniques as well as techniques in order to improve the operation work in
a company. Moreover, new and advance hospitals management software are also helpful to the
hospitals, patients or workers. Recently a new managements software is also introducing such as
Med- E- Nave that provides all solution related to finance, clinical or operational activity. This
software system also helpful to operational theatre activities in order to provide best result. In
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order to improve the system of inventory management, NHS should apply all new and advance
technology in their working place so that it will be helpful for them to get instant and reliable
solution of the problems. Another alternative solution is labelling process which help NHS to put
all the medicine in proper way so that it will help them to determine the exact medicine in a right
place. By providing proper training session to their new staff members will also helpful to use
those technologies into their working area. If NHS introduce new inventory system into the
working area (Mahindroo, Samalia and Verma, 2018). Then there is necessary from the company
to train the employees in order to operate the system into work area.
This further includes the managing or tracking where the medical equipment needs to
used or how to get them. Actually, many workers are not aware to the use of this inventory
management system and even they are also not aware to common practices at that time there is a
need to use those new technique into the working area. Hence, providing training session to
those employees will be helpful in order to maintaining the accountability for the company's
inventory. In addition to this, transportation as well as channel of distribution needs to be
improved as per the time and this can be achieved by NHS by using that new software into the
working area because it will help them to save time as well as cost of the patient as well as
workers too. Hence, a good inventory system or practices is not only help hospitals to decrease
the cost of operations but also helpful to improve the operations. Even by providing proper
training session to their staff members further help to reduce the overall cost which is incurred
during the process.
Analytic discussion with relevant and similar example(s) and applying
appropriate solutions of Operations Management
Potential area of improvements
In hospital sector, there are so many areas which needs to be properly reviewed because it
helps to raise the satisfaction level and directly affect the overall profitability of the company.
Therefore, there is a need to critical review the potential area of improvements and these are as
follows:
 Safety and security need to be improved as per the passes of time. Hence the technology
platform can also track all the routine work through the mobile device, and to provide
safety as well as security through this is the foremost need of their customers. But the
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areas need to be improved by using all the latest and advance technologies into the
working area (Radnor and et.al., 2015). Therefore, NHS also begun to use an automated
approach to regulatory compliances so that it will help to save the time as well as provide
better environment for the treatment.
 As the inventory system of the company is also not up to the mark and it can be
overcome by using radio- frequency identification that further help to maintain the
accurate inventory of the medical equipment and also to track them easily. To use all the
advance and latest technology into the working are will be helpful to determine the exact
position of the company (Rais and et.al., 2018).
 The software needs to be used because the company is not still used latest data in order to
get faster result, there is a need to upgrade the system and adopt new and latest
technologies in a working area so that it will be helpful for the company to save the cost
as well as time for the workers as well as patients too.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
By summing up above report it has been concluded that operation as well as logistics chain
have their own importance in the hospital sector. Report concluded that there is a need to
improve the quality of offered products as well as services to NHS and this can be done through
applying total quality management services to it. Further report also concluded that there are
some more areas which needs to improved such as information system, inventory system which
needs to be improved as per the passes of time because it will further enhance the profit for the
company.
As NHS is one of the most leading hospital which provide best services to their patients
but still the company is not uses all latest technologies into their working place and it further
decrease the profit as well as did not help to retain their customers. Therefore, it is necessary to
use some strategy in order to overcome the aforesaid problems and recommend NHS by
considering the triple bottom line, as mentioned below:
 Incorporation of economic factors- To adopt the new and advance technology into the
working area will be helpful for NHS in order to minimizes the time as well as cost
(Volland and et.al., 2017). Proper and emergency services need to be provided in
accurate time so that it will be helpful for many patients to utilize those services into the
working area.
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 Incorporation of environmental factors- It is also to be recommended to NHS that, they
should use Total Quality Management in order to improve the condition of their services.
This will further help to raise the quality of offered products and it directly affect the
company's brand image as well as attract wide range of customers towards them.
 Incorporation of social factors- In addition to this, it is also recommended to NHS to train
their staff members and also hire the professionals so that this will be helpful for the
system in order to achieve all defined goals and objectives. Hence, the adoption of new
system will further be helpful for the company so that it attracts wide range of customers
towards them. To overcome the problem of understaffing, company needs to introduce
the new system and by recruiting the capable employees will be helpful to use the new
system into the working area.
All above three dimensions are expected to lead into sustainable business
practices in NHS as a mean of raising both its productivity as well as profitability to a
great extent.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Beaulieu, M., Roy, J. and Landry, S., 2018. Logistics outsourcing in the healthcare sector:
Lessons from a Canadian experience. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue
Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration.
Dias, J. M., Rocha, H. and Viana, A., 2018. Preface to the Special Issue on Improving
Healthcare: New Challenges, New Approaches. International Transactions in Operational
Research. 25(1). pp.3-6.
Feibert, D. C., Andersen, B. and Jacobsen, P., 2017. Benchmarking healthcare logistics
processes–a comparative case study of Danish and US hospitals. Total Quality
Management & Business Excellence, pp.1-27.
Gunasekaran, A. and Subramanian, N., 2018. Sustainable operations modeling and data
analytics.
Longaray, A. and et.al., 2018. Using MCDA to evaluate the performance of the logistics process
in public hospitals: the case of a Brazilian teaching hospital. International Transactions in
Operational Research. 25(1). pp.133-156.
Mahindroo, A., Samalia, H. V. and Verma, P., 2018. Information systems road map to enhance
economic and operational reverse logistics performance. International Journal of
Logistics Systems and Management.29(2). pp.215-240.
Radnor, Z. J. and et.al., 2015. Public Service Operations Management: A Research Handbook.
Routledge.
Rais, A. and et.al., 2018. Optimization of logistics services in hospitals. International
Transactions in Operational Research. 25(1). pp.111-132.
Volland, J. and et.al., 2017. Material logistics in hospitals: a literature review. Omega. 69. pp.82-
101.
Online
Total Quality Management. 2018.[Online] Available through:
<https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09544129550035422?
journalCode=ctqm19>
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