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Introduction
NHS Update
is a brief review of current NHS changes and developments that may impact on
the business and activities of UK Pharmaceutical sales teams. A more
comprehensive monthly review, along with other relevant intelligence and useful
feature articles, is available via our free monthly newsletter:
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Alternatively, if your business
demands a more specific market analysis, you should contact Alan Jones of ajc
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Pharmaceutical Industry as a source of crucial NHS intelligence.
To discuss how your team could benefit
from regular up-to-date analysis of the NHS changes and issues that directly
impact on your business, please contact:
Alan Jones of ajc healthcare (alan.jones28@virgin.net)
1. NICE Conference Report
The annual NICE Conference bash happened last month at the ExCel
Conference centre in the wastes of the London Docklands. One almost needed a
degree in conference participation to work one's way around the huge number of
parallel sessions and there was certainly lots going. The really big news was
that announced by Lord Hunt when he 'formally' notified the NHS that from
January 1st 2002, NICE guidance is to become essentially compulsory. Many
expressed concern over the new rules requiring treatments approved by NICE to
be funded within 3 months from the date of publication of each Technology
Appraisal Guidance (TAG). The NHS Alliance, one of the groups representing
PCTs, said that the government's decision to force health authorities and PCTs
to fund all treatments recommended by NICE was "too simplistic" and as a result
some services may have to be limited to fund the cost of NICE approved
treatments. "We support the government's intentions, but not the way they are
doing it," said Dr Mike Dixon, NHS Alliance Chairman. "I hope we will not see
another kind of rationing, based on whether or not the treatment any particular
patient needs has been looked at by NICE." I guess we won't know the answer on
that for some time to come yet!…
2. Nurse Prescribing
The National Prescribing Centre (NPC) has produced a Competency
Framework for Nurse Prescribers. This is broken down into three main areas -
consultation, prescribing effectively and prescribing in context. See
Maintaining Competency in Prescribing: An Outline Framework to Help Nurse
Prescribers at
www.npc.co.uk
3. Cancer Services
A 12
page report, The NHS Cancer Plan: Making Progress, is available at
www.doh.gov.uk/cancer/makingprogress.htm summarising,
from the government's perspective at least, where we are with in the
implementation of the NHS Cancer Plan. 279 PCT cancer lead clinicians have now
been nominated as part of the DoH/Macmillan Cancer Relief initiative. Also the
joint report from the Commission for Health Improvement and the Audit
Commission is now out. This looks at the implementation of the recommendations
of the 1995 Calman-Hine report on the commissioning of cancer services. The
report focuses on the period 1995 - 2000, before the publication of the NHS
Cancer Plan. The report is available at
www.chi.nhs.uk.
4. Respiratory Disease
The BTS have done a good job in publicising their report The Burden of Lung
Disease (www.brit-thoracic.org.uk). It suggests many more
specialist respiratory nurses, consultants and surgeons are required and that
lung disease is at least as important as cancer and heart disease and a NSF
would be nice. Other groups like the RCN have rejected this approach. A DoH
spokesperson reminded the BTS that much of the morbidity and mortality is due
to lung cancer and not COPD and asthma and that was why the burden of
respiratory disease was so high and that this was already being tackled!….
5. Diabetes NSF
The
first part of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Diabetes has been
published The second part, the 'delivery strategy' will arrive in the summer.
The twelve recommendations include patient-held records and personal care plans
and the NSF clearly recognises the key role of primary care. Said Dr Michael
Dixon, Chair of the NHS Alliance, "There is clear evidence that the quality of
care in diabetes has often been variable, and that patients have fallen into an
invisible gap between primary and secondary care - between GPs and specialists.
The emphasis throughout is on locally agreed protocols to meet national
standards. We welcome the explicit recognition of the cumulative effect of NSFs
on primary care and anticipate that the strategy for delivery will take full
account of the extra demand on primary care and the resources needed. We must
not risk unbalancing those areas not covered by NSFs,"
6. Bandolier & EBM & the
Industry
The monthly evidence-based magazine, Bandolier, couldn't
resist in its' November issue at having a go at the industry, "Bandolier
sometimes despairs of healthcare industries. Evidence should be their meat and
drink, yet they shrink from helping us by giving us evidence the way we want
it, in unbiased, independent, systematic reviews. Though there are exceptions,
too often they are afraid of what's on the other side of the hill. So after
incredibly expensive research, carried out over a whole afternoon, Bandolier
has come up with the answer. Anyone from industry bearing an unbiased,
independent, systematic review of a company's product will be rewarded with a
Bandolier mug. That should do it!"…. Still time to get yours
…….
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