The role of nurses in health purchasing

This paper considers nurses' responsibilities on giving advice about the purchasing of health care. By outlining the steps in the purchasing cycle, a coherent framework is presented for identifying the specific issues associated with the purchasing of health services by district health authorities (DHAs), and family health service authorities (FHSAs) in England and Wales, and health boards (HBs) in Scotland. Purchasing health is every nurse's business. All registered nurses in the UK have a contribution that they can and should make to ensure that their DHA, HB or FHSA makes the best possible provision for their resident population.