Gareth Morton, Ireland’s new National Director of Procurement, sets out a bold vision to transform healthcare purchasing through innovative digital systems, sustainability initiatives, and regional collaboration, amid ongoing reforms and global supply challenges.
Appointed in January 2025 as the National Director of Procurement within the Health Service Executive (HSE), Gareth Morton brings three decades of extensive procurement and supply chain experience to the largest purchaser role in Ireland’s public health service. Morton, previously holding senior commercial roles including at Tesco, envisions procurement not merely as a function of cost-saving but as a strategic enabler pivotal to delivering best-in-class, patient-centred care across Ireland’s healthcare system.
Morton acknowledges the multifaceted challenges confronting procurement within the health sector, including global supply chain volatility, inflationary pressures, and stringent regulatory frameworks. Yet, his approach is rooted in collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, aligning procurement operations with the expanding demands of an evolving healthcare landscape. He emphasises his commitment to leading a procurement function that is proactive, deeply integrated with clinical needs, and aligned with the broader organisational priorities of the HSE.
With an annual spend of approximately €5.4 billion, the HSE is the State’s largest purchaser, underscoring the criticality of efficient procurement in public health finance. Morton’s priority is clear: to deliver value for money through transparent, competitive procurement practices that secure high-quality goods and services at optimal cost, thereby enabling reinvestment into patient services. Part of this strategy involves fostering strong supplier partnerships and enhancing local and SME involvement, an approach that reflects a balance between national coordination and regional specificity.
The HSE’s structure, recently reorganised into six Health Regions under the Sláintecare reforms, presents additional complexity. Morton highlights the necessity of close collaboration between the national procurement function and these regional bodies to ensure that the diverse and specific needs of different areas are met, while maintaining national efficiency and standards. This regional integration aims to align procurement closely with frontline service requirements and local health priorities, supporting the broader goal of joined-up care delivery.
Innovation and digital transformation stand out as cornerstones of Morton’s vision. He points to the recent implementation of a single national financial management and procurement system (IFMS), built on SAP S/4HANA and SAP Ariba platforms, which replaces fragmented legacy systems. This unified platform enhances transparency, governance, and real-time decision-making capabilities, laying a robust foundation for integrated, data-driven procurement across the health service. Digital tracking of equipment and supply chains, alongside emerging explorations into artificial intelligence applications, signal a forward-looking procurement function attuned to technological advancements that can boost efficiency and responsiveness.
Sustainability is another key pillar in Morton’s strategy. The HSE’s Climate Action Strategy 2023-2050 sets ambitious decarbonisation targets, explicitly linking sustainable procurement to the organisation’s climate goals. As the largest consumer in the State, the HSE’s purchasing decisions have profound environmental impacts. Morton leads the development of a green procurement strategic framework designed to address environmental and social impacts across contracts and supply chains, aiming to reduce the carbon footprint while balancing cost implications. This framework seeks to embed sustainability principles throughout procurement practices, ensuring the health service leads by example in delivering greener, more responsible healthcare.
Morton’s stewardship comes amid the Finance Reform Programme, which highlights efficiency, transparency, and resilience in HSE procurement as key components in supporting safer patient care. His stated ambition is for the procurement function to be a trusted, value-driven partner in healthcare delivery, one that not only manages public funds prudently but also enables innovation and supports sustainable, high-quality patient outcomes.
Reflecting on the evolving digital landscape in healthcare, Morton views data integration and innovative technologies as critical enablers of future success. The HSE’s broader digital strategy, including initiatives like the Digital for Care programme and universal patient identifiers, exemplifies the push towards interconnected systems for improved health service delivery. Procurement, in aligning with these digital advances, will play a strategic role in ensuring the right resources are available promptly and effectively to meet clinical and operational needs.
Overall, Gareth Morton’s leadership signals a transformative period for procurement in the Irish health service—one where strategic foresight, technological innovation, sustainability, and patient-centric values converge to enhance the resilience and effectiveness of healthcare delivery nationwide.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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