A NORTH-EAST law firm has been recruited to advise NHS organisations on buying goods and services.

Ward Hadaway has been appointed to the legal panel for the Yorkshire and the Humber NHS Commercial Procurement Collaborative (YHCPC).

Following a tender process and bids from law firms across the country, Ward Hadaway was one of six firms chosen for the panel.

The appointment, for an initial two years with the option of a further two-year extension, will involve providing advice on a selection of issues affecting NHS bodies.

These include employment law, contract and commercial law, property issues and PFI and PPP projects.

Jeffrey Keeble, partner and head of healthcare at Ward Hadaway, said: “This appointment to the YHCPC panel is a ringing endorsement of the quality of expertise which Ward Hadaway provides to the healthcare sector.

“It is also a reflection of a lot of hard work which our team has put in and continues to put in for our clients.

“We look forward to working with members of the panel in the years to come and play our part in improving healthcare service for the people of Yorkshire and Humberside still further.”

Senior category manager for corporate services at the NHS YHCPC, Stephen Sercombe, said: “We were delighted with the number of high calibre organisations that submitted tenders to supply legal services to NHS organisations in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

“The procurement process means that all the applicants get an equal chance to tender, which is good for them and for the NHS organisations.”

The YHCPC works to help more than 30 health organisations across Yorkshire and Humberside to buy goods and services.

In February Ward Hadaway was reappointed to the NHS Litigation Authority’s panel for non-clinical legal services for a further three-year term following another successful tender win.

The firm currently carries out work for more than 60 NHS clients from the Scottish Borders to the South-East.