Abbott has a strong track record when it comes to implementing home enteral feeding (HEF) contracts. Our most recent success raises the bar and represents a landmark achievement in terms of scale and complexity - as well as rising to the challenges of an accelerated timeframe.

In Quarter 4 of 2025, the Abbott Nutrition team completed full mobilisation across eight major hospitals – including King’s College Hospital, St Thomas’, Guy’s and Evelina London Children’s Hospital - alongside a community programme under the South East London HEF contract awarded in August 2025.

While industry-standard implementations typically take around twelve weeks end-to-end, there was a requirement for this project to be done in eight weeks. Through careful strategic planning, clear communication and close collaboration, the team successfully achieved their ‘go-live’ date within the tighter window, with no disruption to patient care.

PARALLEL WORKSTREAMS

To meet the shortened timeline, the implementation was structured into two dedicated workstreams - hospital and community - working in tandem to deliver a smooth, coordinated transition on both sides.

Across the board, the project required large-scale equipment and product changes, detailed logistics planning, comprehensive patient communications, and the delivery of training to over 3,500 nurses and healthcare professionals, as well as community patients and carers.

NO COMPROMISE ON SAFETY & QUALITY

Safety and quality underpinned every stage of the mobilisation. With compressed timelines and multiple hospitals transitioning simultaneously, the Abbott team implemented robust risk management and reporting processes. This helped to ensure ward-level equipment swap-outs and product transitions were conducted safely and efficiently, without disrupting continuity of care and service operations.

DETAILED TRAINING & ENGAGEMENT

Approximately 350 structured online training sessions were delivered by 34 experienced Abbott trainers over several weeks, ensuring all hospital ward and community staff were fully prepared to use the new equipment safely. Additional on-site courses took place in hospitals, while the Abbott Nurse Advisor team provided training across both community and acute care settings. Altogether, more than 3,500 healthcare professionals received training.

A live SharePoint system provided NHS colleagues with real-time access to training records, product information and guidance.

A FOCUS ON WASTE MANAGEMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability considerations were embedded throughout the mobilisation. Abbott worked closely with hospital teams to integrate the new service into established protocols and optimise each site’s resource and waste management, ensuring that even with high ward usage, no acute feed products were wasted.

Waste reduction, recycling and sustainability practices were also emphasised in training, and supported by posters and signage on the wards to encourage ongoing good practice.

The Abbott team were consistently praised for their high levels of professionalism, clear communication and seamless coordination across the parallel workstreams.

The successful mobilisation of the South East London HEF contract demonstrates Abbott’s ability to deliver large-scale healthcare service transitions reliably and efficiently, even under significant time pressure, without compromising on safety or quality.

This achievement reinforces Abbott’s reputation as a trusted NHS partner and sets a clear benchmark for future service implementations.