NHS Patient Safety - Reducing Medication Errors

How can Pharmaceutical Companies contribute to improving NHS Patient Safety?

They can demonstrate ‘added value’ , for example, by either offering products which contribute directly to making the administration of medicines safer by helping to reduce:-

a.Making the drug up to the wrong strength
b.Using the wrong diluent
c.Microbial or other forms of contamination
d.Labelling errors
e.Administration by the incorrect route by clearer design/packaging of the product

The products which are commonly offered as part of a compounding service include:-
a.Cytotoxics
b.Antibiotics
c.Inotropes
d.Potassium solutions
e.TPN
f.Unlicensed medicines

In addition, the provision of non-promotional training/educational services to healthcare professionals in the form of Continuing Professional Development events and nurse advisor teams helps to educate NHS staff on how to administer medicines more

a.Confidently
b.Accurately
c.Competently


The Department of Health (DH) has issued the following list of ‘Never Events’ for 2012-13. The list is circulated to a wide range of NHS managers, clinicians and healthcare professional allied to medicine.

The document authors are the DH’s Patient Safety and Investigations unit. The purpose of the document is to highlight certain events which are deemed to be very serious risks to the standard of care to patients, but most importantly avoidable.

The document forms part of the wider DH’s Patient Safety Agenda policy and should be read in conjunction with the NHS Standards Contract for organisations providing services to the NHS
1.Wrong site surgery
2.Wrong implant/prosthesis
3.Retained foreign object post-operation
4.Wrongly prepared high-risk injectable medication
5.Maladministration of potassium-containing solutions
6.Wrong route administration of chemotherapy
7.Wrong route administration of oral/enteral treatment
8.Intravenous administration of epidural medication
9.Maladministration of Insulin
10.Overdose of midazolam during conscious sedation
11.Opioid overdose of an opioid-naïve patient
12.Inappropriate administration of daily oral methotrexate
13.Suicide using non-collapsible rails
14.Escape of a transferred prisoner
15.Falls from unrestricted windows
16.Entrapment in bedrails
17.Transfusion of ABO-incompatible blood components
18.Transplantation of ABO incompatible organs as a result of error
19.Misplaced naso- or oro-gastric tubes
20.Wrong gas administered
21.Failure to monitor and respond to oxygen saturation
22.Air embolism
23.Misidentification of patients
24.Severe scalding of patients
25.Maternal death due to post partum haemorrhage after elective Caesarean section
Source: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_132352.pdf

You can read the whole document if you wish, but the indicators within the specific areas where the Pharmaceutical Industry has opportunities to work in conjunction with the NHS includes:-

4.Wrongly prepared high-risk injectable medication
· Death or severe harm as a result of a wrongly prepared high-risk injectable medication.
· High-risk injectable medicines are identified using the NPSA’s risk assessment tool1. A list of high-risk medicines has been prepared by the NHS Aseptic Pharmacy Services Group using this tool2. Organisations should have their own list of high-risk medications for the purposes of the “never event” policy, which may vary from the NHS Aseptic Pharmacy Services Group list, depending on local circumstances.
· A high risk injectable medicine is considered wrongly prepared if it was not; o prepared in accordance with the manufacturer's Specification of Product Characteristics;

1 NPSA High Risk Medication Risk Assessment Tool, 2007, available at
http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/EasySiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=60097&type=full&servicet ype=Attachment

2 Pharmaceutical Aseptic Services Group. Example risk assessment of injectable medicines. 2007. Available at http://www.civas.co.uk/
· This event excludes any incidents that are covered by other “never events”.
· Where death or severe harm cannot be attributed to incorrect preparation, treat as a Serious Untoward Incident.

5. Maladministration of potassium-containing solutions
Death or severe harm as a result of maladministration of a potassium-containing solution.
Maladministration refers to;
selection of strong potassium solution instead of intended other medication,
wrong route administration, for example a solution intended for central venous catheter administration given peripherally,
infusion at a rate greater than intended.

Setting: All healthcare settings.
Guidance: - Patient safety alert – Potassium chloride concentrate solutions, 2002 (updated 2003), available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59882

6. Wrong route administration of chemotherapy
Intravenous or other chemotherapy (for example, vincristine) that is correctly prescribed but administered via the wrong route (usually into the intrathecal space).

Setting: All healthcare premises.
Guidance: - HSC2008/001: Updated national guidance on the safe administration of intrathecal chemotherapy, available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/publicationsandstatistics/lettersandcirculars/healthservicecirculars/dh_ 086870 - Rapid Response Report NPSA/2008/RRR004 using vinca alkaloid minibags (adult/adolescent units), available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59890

7. Wrong route administration of oral/enteral treatment
Death or severe harm as a result of oral/enteral medication, feed or flush administered by any parenteral route.
Setting: All healthcare settings.
Guidance: - Patient Safety Alert NPSA/2007/19 - Promoting safer measurement and administration of liquid medicines via oral and other enteral routes, 2007, available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59808

8. Death or severe harm as a result of intravenous administration of epidural medication.
A broader “never event” covering intravenous administration of intrathecal medication or The “never events” list 2012/13 9 intrathecal administration of intravenous medication is intended once the deadlines for Patient Safety Alert 004A and B actions have passed.
Setting: All healthcare premises.
Guidance: - Patient Safety Alert NPSA/2007/21, Safer practice with epidural injections and infusions, available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59807 - Safer spinal (intrathecal), epidural and regional devices - Parts A and B, available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?EntryId45=65259

9. Maladministration of Insulin
Death or severe harm as a result of maladministration of insulin by a health professional. Maladministration in this instance refers to when a health professional
uses any abbreviation for the words ‘unit’ or ‘units’ when prescribing insulin in writing,
issues an unclear or misinterpreted verbal instruction to a colleague,
fails to use a specific insulin administration device e.g. an insulin syringe or insulin pen to draw up or administer insulin, or
fails to give insulin when correctly prescribed.

Setting: All healthcare settings.
Guidance: - Rapid response report – Safer administration of insulin, 2010, available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/alerts/?entryid45=74287 - NHS Diabetes – Safe use of insulin, 2010, available at http://www.diabetes.nhs.uk/safe_use_of_insulin/ - NHSIII Toolkit – Think Glucose, 2008, available at www.institute.nhs.uk/thinkglucose - NHS Diabetes guidance - The Hospital Management of Hypoglycaemia in Adults with Diabetes Mellitus, 2010, available at http://www.diabetes.nhs.uk/document.php?o=1037

19. Misplaced naso- or oro-gastric tubes
Death or severe harm as a result of a naso- or oro-gastric tube being misplaced in the respiratory tract.
Setting: All healthcare premises.
Guidance: - Patient safety alert – Reducing harm caused by misplaced nasogastric feeding tubes, 2005, available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59794 - Patient safety alert – Reducing harm caused by misplaced naso and orogastric feeding tubes in babies under the care of neonatal units, 2005, available at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59798&q=0%c2%acnasogastric%c2%ac


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Clinical Commissioning Groups

CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUPS
Please note that if you enjoy reading this blog then you can find other similarly informative articles on our website at http://www.2020selection.co.uk/

A Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is a group of GPs and other clinicians who have chosen to come together to commission (buy) health services for their local communities. From early 2013, Clinical Commissioning Groups will be responsible for commissioning NHS services for patients in England. All GPs will need to be part of a CCG. They will replace Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). CCGs will be responsible for commissioning hospital services (elective, acute and emergency) and most community health services (for example district nurses), and mental health services. The 151 PCTs have already been organised into 51 clusters in preparation for the change. There will be a period of dual functioning as CCGs mature and PCTs delegate more responsibility to CCGs.

The governing bodies (Boards) of the CCGs will have, in addition to GPs, a least one registered nurse and a doctor who is a secondary care specialist. Groups will have boundaries that will not normally cross those of local authorities.
Some CCGs have been given authority by central government to test new models of clinical commissioning and to lead in their development – the term ‘pathfinder’ is used to describe such groups.

Commissioning is the term used in the public sector for buying services. It is a structured way of deciding how public money should be spent. In the case of the NHS, commissioning relates to the provision of health services. Commissioning healthcare and health services is the process of examining:
the healthcare needs of the area
the way in which healthcare services are delivered
ways in which healthcare resources will offer the best overall value for money

Health services, such as GPs and community and hospital services have historically been commissioned by PCTs. This way of buying in services has meant that GPs and other clinicians, who are the best placed to advise on their patients needs, have been too far removed from the process.

The health White Paper: Equity & Excellence: Liberating the NHS was published in July 2010. The White Paper reinforces this view, and in time, much of the responsibility for commissioning health services will be given over to clinicians including GPs.

The CCGs will be overseen by the newly formed independent NHS Commissioning Board which will make sure that CCGs have the capacity and capability to commission services successfully and to meet their financial responsibilities. The NHS Commissioning Board will become fully operational from April 2012. Its senior structures should contain a range of healthcare professionals, and it will have a Medical Director and a Chief Nursing Officer on its board.
The NHS Commissioning Board will also be responsible for directly commissioning:
Pharmacy services
General Practice
Dentistry services
Specialist services (specialised services that are required by a limited number of people)
At a local level, new Health and Wellbeing Boards will be set up in local authorities to ensure that CCGs are meeting the needs of local people. The membership of these boards will include representatives from:
Clinical Commissioning Groups
Directors of public health
Children’s services
Adult Social Services
Elected councillors
Health watch (representing the views of patients, carers and local communities)

These boards will be in place in shadow form April 2012.


For further information
More information on the health White Paper: Equity & Excellence:
Liberating the NHS see the Department of Health website:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/LiberatingtheNHS/index.htm

Which Medical Sales Recruitment Agency?

Which Recruitment Agency?
Despite the global recession and credit crunch, one of the UK’s leading pharmaceutical recruitment agencies , 20:20 Selection Ltd has gone from strength to strength. How have they acheived their organic growth in these difficult times?
The team have over 50 years of combined, actual experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sales arenas in the UK.
Managing Director Karen Forshaw formed the company in 2002, after a successful career in medical sales (both primary and secondary care) and medical sales management (at both area and national sales manager level). She is passionate about providing an unirivaled service to both clients and candidates. The 20:20 Selection maxim of “perfect vision: not hindsight” extols the company virtues down to a tee. By carefully selecting their candidates, 20:20 Selection ensure that when one goes before a client for an interview then they have an excellent chance of actually getting hired.
Using the experience and advice from Karen’s team, 20:20 Selection will ensure that you are only ever put forward for roles which you really understand and want to do. They only send your CV to clients with your full permission. Should you get an interview, then Karen and the team will keep you fully briefed and ‘prepped’ during the entire process. They have an enviable reputation within the industry as a recruitment company that really cares about both clients and candidates. One of the prime motivating factors is that individual consultants are not bonussed on just their own performance, but on the performance of the whole company. As a result you will not find yourself being forced or coerced into going for a role just to make up the sales figures of the consultant that you are dealing with.
So if you are interested in a role in UK pharmaceutical, medical or device sales then please contact us at administrator@2020selection.co.uk or visit our website http://www.2020selection.co.uk/ to find out more about the company.
Please note that in order to reach our minimum standards you will need to be qualified to work in the UK, have a full UK driving licence with not more than 6 points and be educated to degree level or be of graduate calibre.
Good Luck in your career.

High Tech drugs dominate NHS England drug expenditure

When the NHS was launched in 1948 it had a budget of £437million (roughly £9billion at today’s value). For 2011/12 it is around £106 billion. This equates to an average rise in spending over the full 60-year period of about 4% a year once inflation has been taken into account. However, in recent years investment levels have been double that to fund a major modernisation programme.
Some 60% of the NHS budget is used to pay staff. A further 20% pays for drugs and other supplies, with the remaining 20% split between buildings, equipment and training costs on the one hand and medical equipment, catering and cleaning on the other. Nearly 80% of the total budget is distributed by local trusts in line with the particular health priorities in their areas.
The money to pay for the NHS comes directly from taxation. According to independent bodies such as the King’s Fund, this remains the “cheapest and fairest” way of funding health care when compared with other systems.

Overall, drug expenditure represents about 10% of NHS drug expenditure. Following the 2010 General Election, the coalition government agreed that all NICE approved drugs should be made readily available to all NHS England patients, irrespective of where they live, and as a direct consequence there has been a steady increase in the value of drugs issued in hospitals (secondary care). This equates closely with the fact that the newer drugs positively appraised by NICE tend to be very expensive in terms of acquisition cost (i.e. trade price to the NHS).

The overall NHS expenditure on medicines in 2009 was £12.3 billion.

The overall NHS expenditure on medicines in 2010 was £12.9 billion.

In 2009 hospital use accounted for 30.9% of the total cost, up from 28.8% in 2008.

In 2010 hospital use accounted for 31.7 per cent of the total cost, up from 30.9 percent in 2009.

In 2009, the cost of medicines rose by 4.8 per cent overall but by 7.7 per cent in hospitals

In 2010, the cost of medicines rose by 5.6% overall but by 13.2% in hospitals


In 2009, of the drugs positively appraised by NICE, the greatest overall cost was for atorvastatin but etanercept incurred the greatest cost in hospitals.


In 2010, of the drugs positively appraised by NICE, the greatest overall cost was for atorvastatin but adalimumab incurred the greatest cost in hospitals.





Table 1. Cost (£000s) of top 10 medicines issued in hospital in 2010

1. Adalimumab (Humira) 180,519.7
2. Etanercept (Enbrel) 179,631.0
3. Ranibizumab (Lucentis) 128,984.7
4. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) 105,878.0
5. Infliximab (Remicade) 103,437.6
6. Rituximab (Rituxan/MabThera) 93,672.3
7. Imatinib (Glivec) 55,262.9
8. Docetaxel (Taxotere) 52,994.3
9. Lenalidomide (Revlimid) 49,676.9
10.Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) 44,087.5


Table 2. Cost (£000s) of top 10 medicines issued in Primary care in 2010

1. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 305,652.7
2. Olanzapine (Zyprexa) 110,045.1
3. Quetiapine (Seroquel) 88,915.7
4. Omeprazole (generic) 84,252.0
5. Simvastatin (including combinations) mainly generic 82,134.8
6. Ezetimibe (excluding combinations) Ezetrol family 77,454.3
7. Insulin glargine (Lantus) 73,723.7
8. Pioglitazone (inc with metformin) Actos family 68,132.9
9. Buprenorphine (inc with naloxone) Subutex family 57,646.7
10.Levitiracetam (Keppra) 54,350.8





Table 3. Overall cost (£000s) of top 10 medicines issued in ALL sectors 2010

1. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 312,871.9
2. Adalimumab (Humira) 189,302.7
3. Etanercept (Enbrel) 188,628.2
4. Ranibizumab (Lucentis) 128,987.0
5. Olanzapine (Zyprexa) 126,501.6
6. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) 105,878.0
7. Infliximab (Remicade) 103,439.7
8. Quetiapine (Seroquel) 101,992.3
9. Rituximab (Rituxan/MabThera) 93,673.4
10.Omeprazole (generic) 91,313.7





Table 4. Cost (£000s) of top 10 medicines issued in hospital in 2009

1. Etanercept (Enbrel) 158,377.8
2. Adalimumab (Humira) 150,592.6
3. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) 96,126.0
4. Ranibizumab (Lucentis) 94,694.8
5. Infliximab (Remicade) 90,387.3
6. Rituximab (Rituxan/MabThera) 79,391.7
7. Imatinib (Glivec) 54,105.2
8. Docetaxel (Taxotere) 49,711.0
9. Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) 39,913.9
10.Paclitaxel (Taxol) 34,822.1


Table 5. Cost (£000s) of top 10 medicines issued in Primary care in 2009

1. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 321,499.6
2. Clopidogrel (Plavix) 136,574.7
3. Olanzapine (Zyprexa) 106,073.6
4. Quetiapine (Seroquel) 78,682.9
5. Simvastatin (including combinations) mainly generic 73,470.9
6. Ezetimibe (excluding combinations) Ezetrol family 71,409.0
7. Insulin glargine (Lantus) 66,753.3
8. Simvastatin (excluding combinations) generic 66,753.3
9. Omeprazole (generic) 65,796.8
10.Rosuvastatin (Crestor) 51,662.8

Table 6. Overall cost (£000s) of top 10 medicines issued in ALL sectors 2009

1. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 328,652.1
2. Etanercept (Enbrel) 166,450.4
3. Adalimumab (Humira) 157,022.6
4. Clopidogrel (Plavix) 149,455.2
5. Olanzapine (Zyprexa) 123,113.1
6. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) 96,126.0
7. Ranibizumab (Lucentis) 94,695.5
8. Quetiapine (Seroquel) 91,805.0
9. Infliximab (Remicade) 90,387.3
10.Rituximab (Rituxan/MabThera) 79,392.0

Interestingly, the UK patents for the following brands will/have expire(d) in the following years. Clearly this will have a major impact on future data released in 2012.
Lipitor (2012)
Plavix (2010)
Zyprexa (2011)
Seroquel (tbc)
Due to the complex nature of patent law these dates are best estimates, at the time of writing this article and can not therefore be guaranteed.


Sources:
The NHS Information Centre http://www.ic.nhs.uk/

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Health White Paper - Lansley's Health Reforms

The new Health Minister announced the White Paper that lays out the future of the NHS over the course of this parliament (which is now a guaranteed 5 years). He described this as a ‘blueprint’ for Health Policy up to the next General Election. The main aim is to cut £20bn from the Health Budget over the next 4 years. One of the main issues is the end of the current PCTs, which means that GPs will have direct control of the commissioning of services. NHS Management costs are set to reduce by 45% as a part of this reduction.

This is considered by many to be the most radical NHS White Paper to date, and is expected to be well received by the Conservative back benches. As for the Lib Dems, they had the abolition of StHAs as part of their 2010 manifesto, so this should sit well with them also.

Lansley said ‘the provision of healthcare service will be led by patients and professionals and not by politicians’.

The basics of the White Paper are set out below:

More power to GPs
The most contentious issues will be the compulsory devolvement of huge commissioning powers to GP and GP Consortia and the abolition of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). None of this was proposed by the Conservatives when they were in opposition. These decisions emerged after the General Election. There is concern that a large number of GPs do not want to take on commissioning functions, and in fact are ill-equipped to do so.
It is interesting therefore to note that the British Medical Association has welcomed today’s announcement.

More power to patients
The Government is going to launch HealthWatch England, a new ‘consumer champion’, which will sit within the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The White Paper provides an ethos for structural change; the NHS must be patient led and choices must be led by those at the frontline of delivering those services to patients, i.e. clinicians. On a national level, it will be able to propose CQC investigations of poor service. This organisation will help to strengthen the patient voice and ensure that patient feedback is heard at a local level. Patients will not only have power over the choice of GP they would like to attend (regardless of where they live), but will also have power over who has sight of their patient record.

Abolition of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)
The complete removal of PCTs, instead of simply reducing their numbers, came as a big surprise when compared to the proposals contained in the Conservative manifesto from January 2010. However, it is in keeping with current measures when you look at the plan to reduce admin costs by 45%. Some form of supervisory role is of course required, particularly in respect of GPs and other primary care services, and it is a role which Monitor (the body currently responsible for the regulation of Foundation Trusts) may find challenging.
Abolition of Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs)
SHAs will be abolished as early as 2012. Their functions will be taken over by Monitor. Monitors’ remit will extend to establish it as the key economic regulator in healthcare.


Foundation Trusts
All NHS Trusts will become or be part of a Foundation Trust and this will be the preferred governance model for the health service. Trusts will be given more freedom to innovate to improve patient care. NHS staff will have the opportunity - where appropriate – to manage these organisations as ‘the largest social enterprise sector in the world’.

NHS Commissioning Board
A review of existing quangos is due to report in the autumn but the White Paper makes provision for a number of new bodies which will help implement this new, patient led vision of the NHS. The most vital is the NHS Commissioning Board which will act to ensure quality in commissioning and be responsible for commissioning certain services, such as community pharmacy, which GPs cannot commission. It will also be responsible for increasing patient choice through helping patients manage their personal health budgets. The intention is for this body to be fully operational in April 2012. The underpinning concept is to reduce the number of quangos but those that do exist will be interlinked and more accessible to patients.

Value based pricing
The White Paper confirms that the Government intends to move to value based pricing when the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) runs out at the end of 2013. A reference is made to the Cancer Drugs Fund, which will operate from April 2011, but no further details are provided.

NICE
In a further strengthening of its powers, NICE will be in charge of developing new quality standards for all the main pathways of care. The paper estimates that NICE will develop up to 150 new quality standards over the next five years. This will position NICE as the key quality regulator building on Lord Darzi’s work on quality improvements, under the previous Government.

Scrapping targets
As mentioned in the NHS Operating Framework, targets with ‘no clinical justification’ will be scrapped (although not as many as were discussed in Opposition). There is a concession that some targets do work but the paper is not clear on which ones and a consultation is promised on new measureables.

Long Term Care
A Commission will be set up to look into long-term care from the Department of Health. This is in keeping with the move to strip away the Department’s NHS functions and replace them with longer term social care objectives.

Consultation
A number of consultation papers will be published in the near future, getting stakeholder views on policies including; commissioning for patients, freeing providers and economic regulation, the NHS outcomes framework, the framework for transition. This process will be an important part of the transition to the new system as will the proper management of the financial risk.





Legislation
Primary legislation will be required to make many of the proposed changes in the White Paper. The Health Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech provides for many of these reforms and is due to be introduced in late 2010. The main legislative reforms in the Bill will include: Making improvement in outcomes central to the NHS; Reforming NICE; creating the independent NHS Commissioning Board; creating a framework for a comprehensive system of GP consortia; establishing HealthWatch; reforming the Foundation Trust model; developing Monitor’s role and reducing the number of arms length bodies in health. The Department of Health is taking comments on implementing all the changes in the Health Bill, which must be submitted by 5 October 2010. We can therefore deduce that the Health Bill will not be laid before Parliament before this date.
The Health Bill will also support the creation of a new Public Health Service, which will streamline existing health improvement and protection bodies. Another White Paper, this time on public health will be published later this year. In addition, the public health budget will be ring-fenced and local Directors of Public Health will be responsible for health improvement funds allocated according to local need.



Sources: white paper and Mr Lansleys press release.

Nurse Advisor roles in the pharmaceutical Industry

Have you ever seen a Nurse Advisor, a Clinical Specialist, a Clinical Support Specialist, or a Clinical Trainer post advertised in the RCN or on a jobsite and asked yourself - “That sounds interesting. What do these roles actually mean?”

As a general rule they are non-commercial, i.e. non-promotional roles that rely heavily upon the Clinical experience and expertise of a Nurse with relevant experience, interest and qualifications in a particular Clinical/Therapeutic area.

They all tend to be field based roles, so you will work from home and travel to GP surgeries, clinics, hospitals or PCT offices usually within your locality. Some overnight stays may be required occasionally and a degree of flexibility is a must. You will be required to work to very high standards in line with the ABPI code of conduct, and according to your company’s own stringent Standard Operating Procedures, but these roles tend to be very rewarding on a professional level and give you the satisfaction of having a high degree of autonomy when operating in the field.

Examples of the areas of expertise that these roles involve include: Diabetes, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Coronary Heart Disease. The role would normally involve working in just one of these areas.

Most Nurse Advisors (and similar) are employed directly by either Pharmaceutical companies or Healthcare and Device manufacturers. There are some companies who assemble teams of these Nurse Advisors and deploy them to carry out exactly those same kinds of role on behalf of a client (e.g. a Pharmaceutical company who manufactures an asthma inhaler) – these personnel are employed by the third party company rather than the Pharmaceutical Company. These ‘teams’ are becoming increasingly popular in this sector. There is little to choose between being employed by one or the other actually.

The roles themselves vary widely. Some examples include:
Managing health outcomes in Type II Diabetes including initiating patient on injecatble therapies
Asthma nurses- identifying patients with poorly controlled asthma
COPD nurses- running patient clinics and making treatment recommendations to their GP
Training hospital nurses on use of infusion systems

To apply for these roles you will need to be currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, hold diplomas in the relevant clinical/therapeutic area, ideally have a teaching qualification and have a minimum of five years post-registration experience. And, as the role involves driving you will need a current Full Driving Licence with no more than six points on it.

The roles will usually reward you with a package of between £25,000 to £40,000, plus corporate benefits such as a company car, private healthcare, company pension, mobile phone, laptop and many roles attract performance related bonuses too.

Many nurses who have entered the Pharmaceutical or Healthcare industry via this route have gone on to forge extremely successful and rewarding careers in the industry.

Top 10 Interview Questions

1. What Are Your Weaknesses?
2. Why Should We Hire You?
3. Why Do You Want to Work Here?
4. What Are Your Goals?
5. Why Did You Leave (Or Why Are You Leaving) Your Job?
6. When Were You Most Satisfied in Your Job?
7. What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can't?
8. What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You?
9. What Salary Are You Seeking?
10. If You Were an Animal, Which One Would You Want to Be?


1. What Are Your Weaknesses?
This is the most dreaded question of all. Handle it by minimising your weakness and emphasising your strengths. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits: "I am always working on improving my communication skills to be a more effective presenter. I recently joined Toastmasters, which I find very helpful."

2. Why Should We Hire You? Summarise your experiences: "With five years' experience working in the financial industry and my proven record of saving the company money, I could make a big difference in your company. I'm confident I would be a great addition to your team."

3. Why Do You Want to Work Here? The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you've given this some thought and are not sending out CVs just because there is an opening. For example, "I've selected key companies whose mission statements are in line with my values, where I know I could be excited about what the company does, and this company is very high on my list of desirable choices."

4. What Are Your Goals? Sometimes it's best to talk about short-term and intermediate goals rather than locking yourself into the distant future. For example, "My immediate goal is to get a job in a growth-oriented company. My long-term goal will depend on where the company goes. I hope to eventually grow into a position of responsibility."

5. Why Did You Leave (Or Why Are You Leaving) Your Job? If you're unemployed, state your reason for leaving in a positive context: "I managed to survive two rounds of corporate downsizing, but the third round was a 20 percent reduction in the workforce, which included me." If you are employed, focus on what you want in your next job: "After two years, I made the decision to look for a company that is team-focused, where I can add my experience."

6. When Were You Most Satisfied in Your Job? The interviewer wants to know what motivates you. If you can relate an example of a job or project when you were excited, the interviewer will get an idea of your preferences. "I was very satisfied in my last job, because I worked directly with the customers and their problems; that is an important part of the job for me."

7. What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can't? What makes you unique? This will take an assessment of your experiences, skills and traits. Summarise concisely: "I have a unique combination of strong technical skills, and the ability to build strong customer relationships. This allows me to use my knowledge and break down information to be more user-friendly."

8. What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You? It's time to pull out your old performance appraisals and boss's quotes. This is a great way to brag about yourself through someone else's words: "My boss has told me that I am the best designer he has ever had. He knows he can rely on me, and he likes my sense of humour."

9. What Salary Are You Seeking? It is to your advantage if the employer tells you the range first. Prepare by knowing the going rate in your area, and your bottom line or walk-away point. One possible answer would be: "I am sure when the time comes, we can agree on a reasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background?"

10. If You Were an Animal, Which One Would You Want to Be? Interviewers use this type of psychological question to see if you can think quickly. If you answer "a bunny," you will make a soft, passive impression. If you answer "a lion," you will be seen as aggressive. What type of personality would it take to get the job done? What impression do you want to make?


Source: Monster.co.uk

20:20 Selection in 'On Target' Publication

Realising the 20:20 vision

Healthcare recruitment consultancy 20:20 Selection Ltd is expanding with new premises and two new staff members.

Managing Director Karen Forshaw commented: “We have always considered it essential that the working environment should add value to our core function of recruiting for the pharmaceutical and medical industry. In our new location we are better prepared to address the challenges ahead.”

Managing Director Karen Forshaw commented: “We have always considered it essential that the working environment should add value to our core function of recruiting for the pharmaceutical and medical industry. In our new location we are better prepared to address the challenges ahead.”

New Recruitment Consultant Sarah Taylor has worked in the Sales and Marketing department of a private hospital, and has recruitment experience from earlier roles. She said: “20:20 Selection Ltd is a leading player in a fast-paced industry, with a unique team ethos focused on delighting the customer. It was these key features that attracted me to the company and I am delighted to be part of its success story.”

Sarah Byrom joins as Recruitment Administrator, having previously been a Recruitment Assistant for a computer game company. “Working in recruitment requires efficient and effective administration support,” she said. “I understand the importance of a slick programme which ultimately benefits our most important asset, the customer.”

Source: On Target

http://www.ontargetmag.com/article.aspx?issueID=140&articleID=1065