Pharma can help NHS transition, says partnership leader
pharmafile | November 13, 2012 | Feature | Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | ABPI, CCGs, Conference, NHS, PCT
A new ABPI team is now ready to help the pharmaceutical industry forge partnerships with the NHS, even as the health service undergoes its greatest ever upheaval.
The ABPI’s new NHS Partnership team, led by Kevin Blakemore is now up and running and engaging with the emerging leaders of the new NHS in England.
Blakemore has recruited three out of four of his regional managers who will help bridge the gap between the pharma industry and local NHS organisations – not only to help in the setting up of more ‘win-win’ regional partnerships, but also to help these successful projects be taken up elsewhere in the country.
England’s health service is now preparing for the handover of power from PCTs to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), the GP-led groups which will take over from April 2013.
But CCGs are not the only new health service organisation, and many in the pharmaceutical industry have despaired at the confusing and complex structures created by the Health and Social Care Act.
The new national NHS Commissioning Board, and local Clinical Senates and Health and Wellbeing Boards are among the other groups that will influence decisions about patient care.
Kevin Blakemore conceded that the massive scale of reform has created a ‘changing, dynamic and confused environment’ for the industry.
Nevertheless, he says the reforms present an opportunity for the NHS – and its allies – to raise standards in patient care.
“This is a great opportunity to re-fashion the NHS into an exceptionally good health service. Of course there is a risk that things could go wrong, and could end up in a mess. Some people want to see it fail, but I really don’t understand that attitude – we should seize this chance to make things better.”
Partnership, Innovation and Medicines Management
The ABPI Partnership Team will help bring NHS organisations and pharmaceutical companies together, and help forge partnerships which will benefit the health service, pharma companies, and of course patients.
Kevin points to one joint working initiative carried out by Buckinghamshire PCT with several pharma companies which diagnosed and treated COPD patients earlier, eventually resulting in savings of £1.2 million.
“If we could only see projects like that copied in other local NHS organisations, then we would really start to make a big impact on patient outcomes, and save the health service a lot of money.”
Kevin Blakemore says there is still room for improvement in the culture of pharma – which often fails to look beyond immediate Return on Investment in projects – and the NHS, which still harbours mistrust and misunderstanding of pharma in places.
He says entering into true partnership isn’t complex in theory, but needs determination to overcome the numerous institutional and budgetary obstacles.
“There has to be somebody on both sides of the fence who is prepared to drive it – if you haven’t got that, you will struggle. We need people who are willing to be pioneers.”
Kevin Blakemore and his team will be at the CCGs, the new NHS and Pharma conference in London on 5 December.
For more details and to book your place at the conference, click here
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