Exceeding Targets and Building for the Future at RNOH NHS Trust
£2.39m delivered against a £2m savings target, with a ‘Better Value’ Board now embedded in the Trust’s financial planning
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust is one of the UK’s leading specialist orthopaedic hospitals, providing a nationally significant range of complex orthopaedic and musculoskeletal services. When the Trust initiated a procurement transformation programme, it needed a partner with the expertise, capacity, and NHS credibility to lead change at pace, without disrupting operations.
RNOH initiated a procurement transformation in response to a complex combination of pressures. The CFO set a £2 million cost savings target for FY-24/25 amid rising financial pressures. Limited internal resources hindered the ability to centralise and standardise procurement across departments. With the Procurement Act 2023 on the horizon, RNOH needed to rapidly align internal practices with new statutory obligations. Procurement processes remained fragmented and largely paper-based, with limited digital oversight or auditability.
EcoVate was engaged as RNOH’s strategic procurement partner, embedding consultants and PMO support directly within the Trust’s Digital, Estates & Facilities, and People divisions. Weekly category-specific meetings provided hands-on guidance and knowledge transfer. Over 30 additional projects, including the full 2025/26 Capital Works Programme, were brought under structured procurement management. The team also addressed critical staffing gaps and developed internal capability through training, knowledge transfer, and toolkit rollout.
A core focus was placed on transforming contract management through Atamis. EcoVate led the contract migration, covering contracts, reporting, dashboards, and savings tracking. SOPs and training ensured sustainable adoption, and the procurement team was repositioned as a gatekeeper function. A comprehensive procurement toolkit was developed alongside the rollout of a ‘No PO, No Pay’ policy — non-PO spend dropped from 36% in January to 24% by May 2025. The Procurement Manual and SFIs were revised to reflect Procurement Act 2023 obligations.
In FY 2024/25, EcoVate supported the Trust in exceeding its £2 million savings target, delivering £2.39 million through strategic procurement interventions and income reimbursement schemes. 2025/26 saw a further £1.43 million in cash-releasing CIP savings, alongside £35k of non-cash-releasing benefits.
A comprehensive non-pay spend review was presented to the Trust Board, providing — for the first time — a clear, data-driven baseline of approximately £96.7 million annualised non-pay expenditure. This shifted the conversation from reactive savings delivery to proactive, intelligence-led financial planning. The Trust established a ‘Better Value’ Board using the spend review as its foundation, providing structured oversight of contracts, workplans, and cost improvement initiatives.
“EcoVate brought both the expertise and the energy that this transformation needed. They embedded themselves within our teams, understood our pressures, and delivered real results, exceeding our savings targets, strengthening our governance, and giving us the digital foundations to plan ahead with confidence. The ‘Better Value’ Board is now a cornerstone of our financial planning, and that would not have happened without EcoVate’s involvement.”
— Director of Finance, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
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