Will Quince MP, the Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care opens the HDA Annual Conference 2023
Dear HDA members,
Will Quince MP, the Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care opened the HDA Annual Conference 2023 by video.
He thanked HDA members for the “indispensable part” they played during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their efforts in tackling hormone replacement therapy supply challenges and soaring demand for antibiotics.
“Receiving timely data from the sector [on these issues] has been critical,” Mr Quince continued, as it allowed the Government “to better understand what is happening and how best to manage it”.
“No matter the challenge, we see HDA members rise to the occasion,” the Minister said. “You are the experts and, in Government, it’s our job to enable you to deliver.”
“We know there is more to do to increase the resilience of our medicines supply chains and I pledge our wholehearted support and a commitment to work ever closer with you,” he added.
For the full video, please contact the HDA Secretariat.
London, 20 June 2022: The Healthcare Distribution Association (HDA UK) will be an official partner of Generation Logistics, a major new awareness and recruitment campaign launched on 15th June. It will showcase the varied range of rewarding career options the logistics sector offers and is coordinated by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and Logistics UK, in partnership with the Department for Transport.
The HDA will support Generation Logistics in their efforts to attract talent to the sector, which will be key to fill vacancies industry-wide and future-proof the sector. A strong workforce is crucial in the development of a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain, and ultimately ensuring that the right medicine is in the right place, at the right time for patients across the four nations of the UK. This means recognising and celebrating the crucial work that is being done in the industry, something the HDA has been a strong advocate for, exemplified in the achievement of key worker status for those working in the medicines supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commenting on the launch, the HDA’s Executive Director, Martin Sawer noted:
“The HDA is very proud to be an official partner of this government-supported initiative focusing on careers and employment in the logistics sector, on which we all rely so much. We encourage our members to support Generation Logistics’s efforts and we will be doing our part to facilitate awareness of the medicines distribution sector as part of the broader Generation Logistics programme of activity.”
Phil Roe, Logistics UK President comments:
“Generation Logistics will provide our industry with the capability to attract and retain the skilled and ambitious workforce which it needs as our role in society continues to flourish.”
Phil Roe and Bethany Windsor, Programme Manager at CILT, presented the Generation Logistics campaign at the HDA Business Day on the 26th May, highlighting the synergies between the logistics sector and the aims of the HDA’s member companies, including issues around retainment, job satisfaction, training and future-proofing the supply chain.
The Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps MP said:
“We have a new challenge facing us as we look to the future of freight. We need to attract a diverse and skilled workforce to play a key part in a new, exciting era transforming an industry at the forefront of innovation and technology. There are thousands of logistics roles available to people from all backgrounds, experience and skills. This campaign will showcase those opportunities in artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, autonomous vehicles and the decarbonisation of the supply chain. This industry campaign is integral to not only supporting growth of this vital sector but also ensuring we have the workforce needed for now and the future.”
About the Healthcare Distribution Association
The Healthcare Distribution Association (HDA UK) represents those businesses who supply medicines, medical devices and healthcare services to patients, pharmacies, hospitals, doctors, and the pharmaceutical industry. HDA UK members operate across the four nations of the United Kingdom enabling a safe, efficient, and high-quality supply chain for the healthcare sector. They are responsible for distributing over 90% of NHS medicines and provide wholesaling services including stock management and IT systems to their supply chain partners. The HDA and its members are at the forefront of the constantly evolving healthcare supply chain, which is seeing innovative practices and technologies make new services possible for manufacturers and to those who dispense medicines, reflecting the needs and choices of individual patients.
Contact Information
Will Browne – wbrowne@hdauk.co.uk
Rebecca Vestager – rvestager@hdauk.co.uk
Dear HDA members,
We were pleased to have Lord Kamall, the Minister for Technology, Innovation and Life Sciences open the HDA Annual Conference 2021 by video.
On behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, Lord Kamall recognised the HDA and the HDA’s members’ “incredible efforts in ensuring that medicines reach patients”, “despite the challenges over the past two years”.
HDA members, he emphasised, were crucial in the effort to fight coronavirus: “From the very start in the first lockdown when we saw huge increases in demand, this created extreme pressures on wholesalers, required lots of flexibility to keep up with demand and to thank you for the great efforts that we saw in sourcing PPE for pharmacies. You managed all this while navigating complex policies and adopting covid-securing working practices”.
He said that there was a need to work “closely and in collaboration together”. He continued: “We appreciate the need for the Department, the MHRA, and others in the health family to engage as early as possible. The close liaison that has developed through Martin, the HDA’s Executive Director and the HDA, working week to week with officials, demonstrates the strong cooperation which has been built up.”
He thanked members for their support in ensuring a consistent medicines supply following Brexit, and reiterated the Government’s commitment to futureproofing the supply chain. He was furthermore pleased to hear that the HDA had chosen carbon net zero as the focus of the Conference’s afternoon programme.
For the full video, please contact the HDA Secretariat.
