Redundancy:

nightmare or opportunity?

Have you ever dreamt of an HR manager handing you a P45, and woken up afraid to look behind you in case you saw your career? Ian Sandison of Remtec explains why redundancy is not always to be feared.

A meeting is suddenly cancelled. You are called to head office at short notice. “Oh by the way, bring your laptop,” you are told. Out of the blue you are in a solicitor’s office, having a compromise agreement reviewed and thinking of your next career move. It is formally called redundancy. Being released, let go, downsized and right-sized are a few of the other printable terms.

Route P45

I see more and more people going through this as companies struggle to get their ‘go to market’ models right, changing the team size, the products sold and the territory covered. A new product does not go well. A company is taken over, merged or acquired. The funding round was not as successful as it could have been. The investors want out and you can’t raise any other equity. Your face doesn’t fit and the boss wants you out.

These are some of the harsh realities of modern-day business. The medical devices sector is somewhat resistant to these ills: generally it continues to grow, and healthcare systems continue to receive strong investment. But being resistant doesn’t make it immune.

So what’s it all about? Is being made redundant your worst nightmare, or can it be an opportunity? What I’ve learned from a number of former colleagues and from my own experience – yes, I’ve been there too – proves that it can be both.

Know your rights

The main legislation points concerning redundancy can be found on the websites listed below, as can advice on statutory payments, relevant taxes and compromise agreements.

People are not actually made redundant! It is the role that is made redundant. An employer has to enter a period of consultation with an employee, during which they should seek to offer suitable alternative employment.

You have the right to a redundancy payment if you’re an employee who has worked continuously for an employer for at least two years. There may be an arrangement in your contract for redundancy pay. However, if this gives you less than the statutory amount, the latter applies. The first £30,000 of any termination payment (including redundancy pay, notice pay etc) is normally tax-free.

One often hears employees who have been made redundant claiming to have been poorly treated: “I gave them all those years, and all I got was three months’ money.” In fact, most employers give more than they are legally required to. If you are 35 with 10 years’ service, the statutory payment required by your employer is 10 weeks’ pay capped at a maximum of £310 per week: a total of £3,100. That’s about a month’s salary and bonus for many medical device sales people.

Don’t rock the boat

Most companies, of course, wish redundancy to be as painless as possible. They are concerned about negative ‘noise’ in the marketplace. If they are savvy, they will come to a sensible compromise with their staff.

A compromise agreement is often used in redundancy where the reasoning behind the decision to release an employee is not clearly defined and may be contentious. It is a single agreement setting out the financial and all other terms on which the employment relationship will end.

In order for a compromise agreement to be valid, certain formalities must be fulfilled. The employee is then unable subsequently to make a claim in the courts or an employment tribunal. Compromise agreements often reward the employee for ‘going quietly’.

Why me?

Redundancy is generally a shock: we never think it will happen to us. You can initially be very angry and upset. But the truth is, it is not your fault. Redundancy happens to all employee types, and high achievers are not immune.

It is crucial to take the emotion out of the situation quickly, and move positively into managing the consequences. Our jobs often define who we are, socially as well as professionally. With our status and perceived worth threatened, it is useful to take a step back and consolidate.

A key thing to consider is ‘understanding yourself’. One way of doing this better is to take a day away from everything: colleagues, friends and partner. Then ask yourself these questions:

• Where do my job and career fit into what I want?
• Where do my job and career fit into my life?
• What is my value function?

Looking forward

When you have answered these questions, you have to start deciding what you are looking for.

Being out of work does not mean you have suddenly lost your skills and abilities: you simply have different objectives and tasks to apply them to. It is important to keep busy and set yourself goals, not just for finding a new role but for keeping fit, seeing friends and family, taking a break.

Many people think that if they are out of work they should not have any fun. There needs to be a sensible balance. If you have enough money to live on for a few months, you can do things you always wanted to do but never had the time. You may discover a different side to yourself.

Redundancy is generally a shock: we never think it will happen to us. It is crucial to take the emotion out of the situation quickly, and move positively into managing the consequences.

Of course the loss of job, status, car and earnings can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Keeping active is key. Continue to meet with ex-colleagues or other key stakeholders in your marketplace (such as recruiters and training companies). Make sure you take these meetings seriously: you prepare, you wear a suit, you maintain the good habits that brought you success.

It is easy to feel guilty about not working. If you know and understand what you are really looking for and you are actively seeking it, taking some time out for yourself is a healthy release.

Priorities and realities

When I spoke to a number of people who had gone through redundancy, almost all of them were in agreement about some key priorities:

• Negotiate the best settlement, seek legal advice.
• Update your CV.
• Contact trusted recruiters.
• Mind map all the contacts you have worked with in the past, noting their details, your working relationship and how well you know them.
• Call the contacts with whom you would work again and see whether they can assist your job search.
• Use the support structure of family and friends.

In today’s constantly shifting employment market, we all need to be sure we are flexible and open to change. You never know when redundancy may strike. Keep these realities firmly in mind:

• Once the decision is made, accept it and look forward.
• It will be tough at times.
• You will not necessarily get the first job you go for.
• You will learn from the experience.


Ian Sandison is a Director of Remtec Search and Selection as well as an independent medical device consultant. He spent many years in medical device sales and marketing. For more information, visit www.remtec.co.uk and www.pandiassociates.co.uk.






Useful websites
www.direct.gov.uk
www.cipd.co.uk
www.hmrc.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-factsheet.pdf
www.dti.gov.uk/employment

 

 

 

Telecare 2007: Caring from a distance

On Target reviews an event that brought together providers and purchasers in the revolutionary field of electronic healthcare.

On Target reviews an event that brought together providers and purchasers in the revolutionary field of electronic healthcare. There was nothing remote about the Telecare 2007 event ‘Caring at a distance’ at the Lakeside Conference Centre in Birmingham on the 26th September. This busy one-day conference linked the telecare and telehealth strands of electronic healthcare, and featured guest speakers and case histories from the NHS and the medtech industry as well as a supporting exhibition. Closer to home Over 100 visitors from healthcare and social care organisations enjoyed a packed programme of audio-visual presentations on the development of telehealth and telecare solutions in the UK. A recurrent theme was the power of electronic healthcare to make personalised care in the community an effective and affordable reality. As a number of speakers observed, this cannot be achieved through new technology alone: it requires a fundamental shift in the healthcare paradigm within and beyond the NHS. Topics covered included: the future of telehealth; telecare for carers and tenants in supported housing; telecare developments in Wales and Scotland; a project to integrate telehealth and telecare in London; using telehealth services to enhance primary care; telecare in the treatment of dementia; and the infrastructure of European telehealth. A clear theme that emerged was that electronic healthcare offers a crucial shift from the ‘fire-fighting’ of diagnostic and emergency care to a socially integrated and patient-centred system of preventative care and monitoring. The value of this for the current NHS agenda of ‘healthcare closer to home’ and a ‘patient-led health service’ is clear, and a wealth of statistics and case histories demonstrated the financial and clinical benefits of telehealth and telecare solutions in helping to keep patients out of hospital. Nor was keeping patients at home seen as the ultimate goal: case after case illustrated that home monitoring enables elderly and disabled patients to enjoy more activity and independence. On a day of dramatic quotes, perhaps the most touching came from an elderly patient whose formerly severe breathing problems had improved through home monitoring with a console costing just £550: “I’m not frightened any more. I don’t have panic attacks any more. I feel easy.”

 

Board changes at Lombard Medical OTD MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANY LOMBARD MEDICAL Technologies PLC has a new Chairman and two new Directors. Alistair Taylor has resigned as Chairman of the company, and has been replaced by Simon Neathercoat as non-executive Chairman. Tim Cook and Craig Rennie are new non-executive Directors. Alistair Taylor was appointed as Executive Chairman of Lombard Medical in 2003. As Chairman he was instrumental in launching the company’s lead endovascular stent graft Aorfix™ in Europe. Simon Neathercoat is currently senior independent non-executive Director of Derwent London PLC. He was previously at Hutchison 3G UK Holdings Ltd and Highbury House Communications PLC, and is a qualified chartered accountant. Dr Timothy Cook has long experience of managing and financing growth companies. He is currently a non-executive Director of Oxford Gene Technology and Chairman of the South Yorkshire Investment Seed Fund. Craig Robert Rennie was Chairman, CEO and major shareholder of Penn Pharmaceutical Services Ltd. He also spent 18 years with Wellcome PLC in a number of senior international roles. Michael Stevens, senior independent non-executive Director of Lombard Medical, said: “These new appointments at Lombard Medical very substantially strengthen the Company’s Board at a time when the company is making good progress with the development and commercialisation of its lead Aorfix™ endovascular stent graft product.” Lombard Medical Technologies PLC develops products for the treatment of vascular disease. The company is headquartered in Oxfordshire. For more details, visit www.lombardmedical.com.
OTD offers revolutionary training model A NEW COMPANY promises to change the landscape of learning and development in the healthcare industry. OTD believes its introduction will have a similar impact on the market as the contract sales model did in pharma in the 80s and 90s. Director Andy Beech said: We are set to change learning and development in the industry in a similar way that Innovex changed the way sales teams were put together.” The company, whose motto is ‘Inspire & Grow’, provides everything from individual bespoke training programs to complete outsourced Learning and Development departments for sales organisations. In line with the industry trend for outsourcing non-core business, OTD offers fully outsourced, world-class training departments. OTD was formed by combining four businesses that supply learning and development solutions to the healthcare industry. Its Directors are Chris Cummins, Nicky Blackburn, Andy Crotty and Andy Beech. For more details, visit www.otd.uk.com.
VMC appoints new Account Manager VMC CONTINUES TO BUILD the strength of its team, and has recruited Ann Stagg as Account Manager. Ann brings a wealth of experience to VMC, having been involved in some of the largest team builds in the industry during her time with Halliday Jones/Ventiv and Innovex. Ann will be looking after some of the key new accounts that VMC has recently gained. For more details, visit www.vacancymgt.com.	STAR Medical is five RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCY STAR MEDICAL has celebrated its fifth birthday. Since its inception in 2002, STAR Medical has increasingly made an impact on the world of medical and healthcare sales recruitment. Founding Directors Lucy Randle and Tim Webster have facilitated the organic growth of their initial team of two to a formidable company of 15. STAR’s strong candidate attraction has been consistently reflected in Pharmaceutical Field’s annual Company Survey. It attributes its continuing success and expansion to the passion and unity of its team, timely and innovative responses to a rapidly changing industry, and total dedication to clients and candidates. For more details, visit www.starmedical.co.uk.
Three years well spent HEALTHCARE SALES SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT company Kirkham Young has celebrated its third birthday. Kirkham Young’s bespoke recruitment service, offering sales, marketing, clinical and technical support roles in the medical devices and laboratory industry, has seen its team triple in size since 2004. “We are really lucky with the people we have here,” commented Director Tina Young. “We all enjoy what we do and share the same passion for ensuring we get the right jobs for the right people, whatever their career aspirations. All of us here get along exceptionally well, which makes it all the more worthwhile and coming into work so much more fun!” Kirkham Young plans to increase its team further to support the ever-expanding client base, offering further support to candidates and clients. For more details, visit www.kirkhamyoung.co.uk.
Olympus UK Ltd on the move DIAGNOSTIC AND HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS provider Olympus UK Ltd has appointed a new General Manager and is moving to new premises in Watford. Alan Trinder, the former General Manager of Olympus Diagnostic Systems in the UK and Ireland and a leading figure in the UK diagnostics sector, has retired after 18 years at Olympus. New General Manager Steve Swanscott joined Olympus in January 2007 as National Sales Manager for Diagnostics Systems, with 20 years’ experience in the IVD industry. Piers Devereux, Managing Director of Olympus UK Ltd, commented: “Alan has done an exceptional job of growing and developing Olympus’ diagnostic business in the UK from its inception to the successful business it represents today.” Olympus UK Ltd is combining its Consumer and Scientific operations into a single new headquarters in Watford. The move is in response to business growth bringing increased demand for training and demonstration facilities. The company’s Central London and Southall offices are closing. Graeme Chapman, MD Consumer, said: “This is an opportunity to bring the two areas of the business closer together and benefit from a better working environment and greatly improved facilities for our customers.” For more details, visit www.olympusosyris.co.uk and www.olympus.co.uk/diagnostics.	New website moves Advance forward HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT COMPANY Advance Recruitment has launched a new website to build on the company’s success over the last decade. The new corporate identity and website reflect Advance’s experience as specialists in medical and healthcare sales, marketing and training. “We’re delighted with the fresh look to our branding, and a new website that combines dynamic creativity with intelligent, professional usability and information for candidates and companies,” said Nick Langley, MD of Advance. “Our new enhanced web presence makes it even easier for candidates and companies to have immediate access to, respectively, the very best jobs and the highestcalibre personnel – in essence what Advance is all about, and why our market share continues to increase.” For more details, visit www.advancerecruitment.net.
	From vision to Blueprint HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT COMPANY Blueprint Medical Recruitment has celebrated its fifth birthday and appointed a new consultant. Blueprint Medical Recruitment specialises in placing sales, marketing and management personnel in the medical devices, medical equipment and disposables sector. Director Terry Crystal said: “Blueprint Medical Recruitment has established its place in the healthcare recruitment industry by listening to clients’ needs and working with them to increase their business. Blueprint Medical Recruitment Ltd has appointed a new consultant, Lucy Watson. Lucy joined Blueprint in July, and will be meeting more clients and candidates at the AfPP 2007 Congress in Harrogate. Blueprint will give away a prize at this year’s AfPP Congress to celebrate its fifth anniversary. Anyone can enter by completing a simple questionnaire. All correct questionnaires will be placed in a draw and the winner, drawn on 11 October, will win a ‘Trip in a Hot Air Balloon’ anywhere in the UK. Visit www.blueprintmr.co.uk for more details.

 

 

The Other Side 14:

Interview with a Podiatrist

Neil Baker is Research Diabetes Specialist and Research Podiatrist at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust. On Target talked to him about purchasing in this increasingly important specialist area of healthcare.

1. As a specialist in diabetic foot care, what purchasing decisions are you involved in making?

A wide range of products and services can be purchased to facilitate the optimal care of those with diabetic foot problems. One of the responsibilities of a clinical manager is to make careful decisions regarding the purchase of equipment, consumables and services used to care for the high-risk foot in diabetes. Two areas where decisions have to be made regarding appropriate purchasing (excluding staffing) are wound care products and surgical appliances.

There are a myriad of different wound care products on the market, which can make deciding between products A and B very confusing. There is very little robust scientific data that would suggest that one dressing is better than another, so unit costs and treatment costs play a large role in decision making.

Diabetic foot ulcers require very frequent redressing to monitor for infection and deal with exudate absorption problems, so choosing a dressing that has a high unit cost or is not widely available (i.e. to both primary and secondary care settings) would be wasteful.

Therefore, unless a specific feature is required from a dressing (e.g. eschar rehydration), a simple non-adherent low unit cost dressing that can be changed frequently is an obvious choice. Purchasing surgical appliances is more complex, as one is purchasing not only a product but also a professional service. Additionally, factors such as patient compliance with prescribed footwear are a difficult area. Spending several hundred pounds on a pair of shoes that are never worn because they do not look like ‘high street’ shoes is a pitiful waste of resources. When purchasing both products and services, ensuring that all patients have a choice of styles, colour and leather types helps to reduce this issue.

We have chosen to use a single company that has a shoe fitter attending our clinic, for several reasons. Firstly, the company specialises in diabetic footwear and so is used to accommodating not only patients’ feet, but also some of the common compliance issues. They have a working understanding of diabetic foot problems and the disasters that can arise through poorly prescribed or fitted footwear. Secondly, there is a direct link between the clinic and the factory floor via the company’s visiting shoe fitter, so any fitting problems etc can be dealt with very swiftly. Thirdly, developing a working relationship with one specialist supplier allows for unique patient requirements, and for product developments to be undertaken effectively.

2. What aspects of sales meetings do you find helpful? What aspects do you find unhelpful?

The facets of sales meetings that I find useful are learning of any new developments in products or new ways of purchasing etc.

Unhelpful facets relate to covering the same Neil Baker old ground or sales pitch. Obviously any new research on a product is useful; however, case studies – especially relating to wound care products – I find frustrating and not particularly helpful, as these are often passed off as research when they are not.

3. How are current changes in hospital practice affecting what you purchase and how you purchase it?

The biggest changes at present are the shift of services from secondary to primary care and changes in service level agreements. The net result of these is that budgets are being held to more account, with a ‘no overspend’ policy being strictly adhered to.

Factors such as patient compliance with prescribed footwear are a difficult area. Spending several hundred pounds on a pair of shoes that are never worn because they do not look like ‘high street’ shoes is a pitiful waste of resources.

Thus rationalisation of what and how much is being purchased is coming more and more to the forefront. So, for example, the idea that the hospital will pay for ‘shoes for life’ for those who require specialist shoes is being looked at closely, which may mean that in the near future GPs may have to pay for prescribed orthoses including shoes, or even provide orthotic services themselves.

Traditionally, this service provision and the revenue costs have been provided by the acute hospital trusts.

4. How are current changes in hospital practice affecting what you purchase and how you purchase it?

There is a distinct possibility that diabetic foot ulceration may be managed in community settings in the future, rather than in hospital-based clinics. This could only be effective if there were a clearly-defined infrastructure in place, with professionals who have the necessary competencies, expertise and experience. Additionally, there would need to be a fast-track system for urgent admission of patients with infected or ischaemic feet, and the facility to follow patient care through onto the wards. At present, I do not think this is achievable without significant investment. If the change happens without such investment, amputations will increase and patient care will be compromised.

The role of consultant allied healthcare professionals, especially podiatrists, is likely to grow in the next decade. Also, foot care protection teams dedicated to the diabetic foot are likely to become established and hopefully commonplace in primary care.

 

 

From start to heart in 6m A NEW CONSUMER HEART MONITOR has been brought to market by a UK company in only six months, including tests and approvals. The MHM 100 personal ECG heart monitor from Medick Healthcare, based in Milton Keynes, was developed in partnership with Industrial Design Consultancy in Datchet. This success demonstrates how small companies can use expertise to make a rapid impact on the e-health market. The MHM 100 is a miniaturised and user-friendly ECG machine for patients with a personal or family history of heart disease. “The brief was to turn the available technology into a product suitable for consumers – assumed to be aged 50-plus and technically aware,” said Stephen Knowles, Managing Director of IDC. The MHM 100 recognises and records any unusual traces. The user can also press an ‘event’ button on the device to make it record traces immediately prior to and following chest pain or shortness of breath. At the end of the day, the data can be uploaded to a website and an expert report sent back within 24 hours. “We created the design concept and managed the whole process, including drop tests, trials, obtaining CE marking, samples and all tooling,” said Knowles. The combination of engineering, industrial styling and prototyping in one place made it possible to launch the product within six months. For more information, visit www.medick.com and www.idc.uk.com.	New insulin pen for children ELI LILLY HAS LAUNCHED THE HUMAPEN LUXURA™ HD in the UK: an insulin pen designed for children with Type 1 diabetes. Designed to combine precision with ease of use, the HumaPen Luxura HD allows dosage to be adjusted forward or backward in half-unit increments on a dial. Setting errors can be corrected without wastage. The pen is for use with Lilly 3ml insulin cartridges. More than 20,000 children in the UK have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. To provide support to children and their families or carers, a pack of educational materials and accessories featuring the cartoon character Hu-Mee the Frog is supplied with the HumaPen Luxura HD – including child booklet, lunchbox, insulin pen case, monitoring diary and Hu-Mee stickers. Simon O’Neill, Director of Care, Information and Advocacy Services, Diabetes UK, commented: “For a child with Type 1 diabetes, their journey with the condition can feel overwhelming and difficult to manage. We welcome the development of any medicines or supporting materials that can make this passage a little easier for them and their families.” For more information, visit www.lilly.com.
World’s smallest ultrasound device SIEMENS MEDICAL SYSTEMS has launched a hand-held ultrasound device for initial diagnosis in emergency situations. The Acuson P10 could transform emergency care. It provides immediate information to healthcare providers at the earliest patient intervention points, such as ambulances and medical helicopters, making decisions possible within minutes. The P10 is a hand-held device for initial screening and triage. Hardly larger than a Blackberry, it weighs just over 700g. Its emergency applications include FAST (Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma), a means of assessing internal damage in the abdominal cavity. “Instead of having to rush the patient to the technology, the P10 brings the technology to the patient, which can reduce critical minutes – particularly when a patient is in cardiac distress or with trauma patients who have multiple injuries,” said Klaus Hambuechen, Head of Siemens’ Ultrasound Division. “The flexibility and portability of the P10 mark significant changes in the way diagnostic and emergency care are administered.” The P10 also has applications in obstetrics. It can be used during labour and delivery to assess foetal viability, foetal positioning and bleeding. The system is equipped with a black-and-white monitor and a flip-up LCD display. The user interface can be navigated using the thumbs. The lithium ion batteries allow roughly an hour of scanning without recharging. For more information, visit http://www.medical.siemens.com.
Kimal wins three-year NHS contract UK MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANY KIMAL PLC has secured an exclusive three-year deal to produce bespoke cardiology procedure packs for the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Kimal PLC, a specialist in cardiology, radiology, renal and access products, has won the new contract – worth more than £150,000 – in a highly competitive tender. The contract is the culmination of months of planning, supported by regional healthcare industry network Medilink West Midlands. Kimal’s Corporate Business Manager Hamish Macdonald said: “This is a great achievement and a real step forward for the company. By being really proactive throughout the tender process, we were able to demonstrate our dedication to customer service, focus and level of expertise. “The ability to obtain up to date ‘live’ information about all OJEU adverts is extremely important, and we are indebted to MedilinkWM for providing us with the advance notification of this tender. Without the help of its dedicated team, this deal would not have been possible. “As the UK’s major specialist provider of procedural solutions, we know how vital it is that we get the job right, first time. I’m sure that’s what really stood out during our tender and helped us secure the contract. We always make sure that all the stakeholders within the NHS Trust are informed and consulted from the start.” For more information, visit www.kimal.co.uk and www.medilinkwm.co.uk.
Electrical device heals persistent wounds DOES TIME HEAL ALL WOUNDS? A new ‘smart’ skin patch device from a UK wound care specialist may change the answer. Hampshire-based medtech company Biosifica has developed and launched Posifect®, a pioneering device that restores the natural electrical signals essential to wound healing. Posifect offers a breakthrough in treatment to sufferers from non-healing wounds, which affect thousands of elderly and diabetic patients in the UK. The cost of managing such wounds represents 4% of the entire NHS budget, and in many cases the treatment given fails to heal the wound. The Posifect skin patch produces small bio-electric currents around the wound site that mimic natural currents. These currents are weak or absent in non-healing wounds. Posifect users have reported significant improvements just days after the first application, which has meant alleviation of severe pain. One such patient is Dennis O’Kelly, 66, from Weston-Super- Mare. Mr O’Kelly suffered for 18 months with a persistent wound caused by an injury. Within a 7-week course of treatment with Posifect, the wound shrank in size by more than 90% and now looks set to heal completely (see photos above and right). Posifect is currently being used across the country by NHS practitioners, as well as being available privately. For more information, visit www.biofiscia.com.
Maquet puts new options on table A NEW HEAVY-DUTY OPERATING TABLE from Maquet increases the range of options available for surgeons, anaesthetists and their patients. The Gynaemaxx table can be purchased as new or retrofitted to existing Alphamaxx tables. It is particularly useful for patients in the lithotomy or Lloyd Davies position as it enables the surgeon and the anaesthetist to work with the patient at the same time, without any need to slide the patient down the table. Gynaemaxx can withstand extreme loads (up to 450kg), while its 80mm padding enhances patient comfort. It can be used together with lithotomy poles, Lloyd Davies Stirrups, direct placement stirrups or integral Maquetmatics. With its back section in place, it can be used for all types of surgery. The demand for heavy-duty operating tables is growing, and the Gynaemaxx extends the range of available solutions. Maquet is the world’s largest manufacturer of operating tables. Its UK operation is based in Tyne & Wear. For more details, visit www.maquet.com.

 

 

A Day in the Life

In the second of our series on industry high flyers, Nicola Richmond, National Sales Manager for Anaesthesia and Critical Care at Baxter Healthcare, talks to On Target about her working life.

What happens in your typical working day?

At present I’m in Ireland at an annual Anaesthesia meeting, but throughout the summer I have been with the Baxter Triathlon team, training at the lakeside! For the last two years we have participated in the London Triathlon to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital. It’s an opportunity for people from all of Baxter to get involved and share a great day out. Our motto is ‘One Baxter’.

As a National Sales Manager I’m field-based, and my main office is at home. I manage teams of sales specialists, regional managers and clinical specialists. I used to be a senior sister in A&E, and that taught me how to deal with critical situations by having clear strategies and involving everyone. Many of my team have senior clinical experience, and we need to equip them with the sales skills they need to optimise sales, customer service and patient care.

I divide my time between dealing with situations that arise and longer-term strategic planning. An important part of my role as a leader is to make sure the direction of the team is in line with the vision of Baxter’s senior management. I’m responsible for Leadership Uplift, the aspiring manager programme within medication delivery that enables managers to run their business as autonomous practitioners.

Our sales teams live and breathe the Patrick Lencioni ‘Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ model. Having worked in trauma care, I feel that working life shouldn’t be a battle. Selling medical devices is not like being caught under a tractor in the middle of a field. You have time to stop and think – to stay in control of what’s going on.

I’m also completely addicted to sales figures: I have to check them every morning! Another important habit for me is to clear my inbox before I go to bed every night. That makes sure I don’t fall behind. I work in the field, coaching sales professionals and maintaining direct contact with customers. And I attend international meetings and contact customers from all over the globe – that’s my favourite part of the job. My nursing and commercial experience give me a helicopter view of our business.

How is the UK market for anaesthetic products changing?

All of us working in healthcare sales need to broaden our horizons. My team have a strong clinical basis, but they need to be trained and empowered as business people with a deep understanding of the commercial side. The days of walking in with a product, selling it and getting it signed off are over. It’s much more about the process of commercial engagement, and that process will change further as collaborative procurement hubs develop.

We are privileged in that there is a definite need for anaesthetics. However, we are seeing customers reverting to older products that are cheaper, or using new machines that require smaller quantities of product. We need to maximise our customer base. Above all, we need to engage with customers who are getting together in groups and buying in bulk. We have to keep abreast of all these changes.

‘A Day in the Life’ is sponsored by Kirkham Young, one of the UK’s leading recruitment consultancies for the healthcare industry. To help you on your way to becoming a high flyer, call Kirkham Young on 0870 7873134 or visit their website at www.kirkhamyoung.co.uk.

 

 

 

An open door for industry

The NHS is undergoing a process of significant change. Where there’s change, there is always risk. The industry has a unique opportunity to help PCTs minimise that risk and add true value to its relationships with customers.

The final article in On Target's four-part series looking at NHS Reform focuses on System Management Reform. This is the policy designed to provide a regulatory framework that will govern the other three main elements of reform: demand-side, supply-side and transaction reform. In the much-vaunted ‘patient-led NHS’, where demand-side reform has been set up to promote choice, supply-side reform to provide it and transaction reform to enable it, system management reform is about providing a governance framework to police it. In essence, its purpose is to stitch together all the major tranches of reform and ensure that the whole thing works.

It would be easy for healthcare sales professionals to dismiss the significance of system management reform and concentrate only on exploiting the obvious opportunities presented by supply-side and demand-side reforms. However, the sheer volume and scale of change being thrust upon the NHS – change that system management reform will attempt to govern – provides a unique opportunity for medtech companies to offer NHS professionals support and guidance in areas where they have little expertise.

The finer details of system management reform remain shrouded in mystery. The broad aims of this policy were outlined late in 2005 in the Department of Health’s framework document, with more detailed proposals scheduled for publication last year.

The proposals remain unpublished, though the advent of a new Prime Minister and the replacement of Patricia Hewitt as Secretary of State for Health have offered renewed hope for a change of direction among many in the health service. However, it would appear more likely that the new Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, will continue the implementation programme set out by his predecessor, despite early rhetoric suggesting that NHS fears of the reform agenda would be considered and addressed.

Certainly, in the current climate, an imminent publication of more detailed aspects of system management reform appears unlikely. So what do we know already?

Managing change

The 2005 DH document Health reform in England: update and next steps describes the main aim of system management reform as being to provide “a framework of system management, regulation and decision making which guarantees safety, quality, fairness, equity and value for money” (see box above).

The System Management Reform framework

System Management Reforms aim to provide a framework of system management, regulation and decision making that guarantees safety and quality, fairness, equity and value for money. This framework will need to address: • governance – a comprehensive description of the roles and responsibilities of the organisations that performance manage or regulate the system as a whole • standards – setting standards and monitoring compliance with the required standards among both NHS and independent sector providers of NHS services • licensing providers – ensuring that providers meet the required quality standards, and potentially using a licensing or accreditation system • competition policy – setting the rules for an appropriate degree of competition and challenge within a public service framework that protects essential services and promotes cooperation where needed • performance regime – a system to identify problems early on, to provide help and support and to address serious clinical and/or financial failure • setting prices – advising on and determining the level of NHS tariff so as to create incentives for improving services and health outcomes and increasing productivity.

Source: Health reform in England: update and next steps (DH 2005)

The 2006 reorganisation of the NHS put in place a well-defined management system where larger Strategic Health Authorities governed a reduced number of enlarged Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). Within this system, a number of key clinical and financial standards have been outlined; the responsibility for upholding them lies predominantly with the PCTs. System management reform thus sets out to put in place a framework that will evaluate the performance of PCTs and ensure that standards and targets are met and health outcomes are delivered.

Risky business

Undoubtedly, PCTs are under greater pressure than at any other time since their introduction. Their ability to absorb and respond to change will make the difference between success and failure for the new NHS.

The NHS is now being required to market its services to the general public. If marketing is uncharted territory for the NHS, it is food and drink to UK medtech companies. The industry, therefore, has a great opportunity to share one of its major skill sets with a comparatively inexperienced customer-base.

A health service that has historically been a single-service provider is being asked to create and embrace competition, and in the process some PCTs are being required to commission services to the unknown. In short, an NHS that has long been resistant to change is now having change forced upon it. And as we all know, where there is change there is always risk. PCTs are set to evolve into Risk Management bodies.

The risks for PCTs are vast. The challenge of creating the competitive environment required to satisfy the much-publicised principle of patient choice takes the NHS totally out of its comfort zone: it has been the only provider of health services since its inception in 1948. The introduction of a market economy based on supply and demand brings with it inherent dangers – and in the new environment, PCTs will be accountable for how they handle these dangers.

Fatal attraction

The first challenge is to ensure that the most appropriate services are being commissioned. The introduction of Practice-Based Commissioning (PBC) is designed to help PCTs identify local health priorities – but what if they get it wrong? How do they determine the need for one service type over another? In addition, once services have been identified, issuing ‘any-provider’ contracts presents further risks:

• How do PCTs attract appropriate providers?
• Where is the ‘competition’ if only one bidder is deemed appropriate?
• What if no-one bids at all?

And even if they do commission the right services to what appear to be the most appropriate providers, what happens if the service they introduce doesn’t deliver the anticipated health outcomes? PCTs are not only commissioning a service, they are also paying for the safety, quality and evaluation of that service. The key challenge of creating a plurality of healthcare providers is that, whether they are independent sector treatment centres, private hospitals, voluntary companies or GP-led primary care services, the majority of players will be unfamiliar, untried and untested. The risks are high.

Uncharted territory

The final risk concerns a change in the culture of healthcare consumption in the UK. Whilst the government bangs the drum for ‘choice’ in the ‘patient-led NHS’, the general public is as familiar with the hospital-led model of healthcare as the NHS. Turning to the local hospital for any form of treatment has been seen not as a choice, but as a norm. Changing this habit is an enormous task. The risk to PCTs, therefore, is obvious: what happens if you set up a series of service options, but noone uses them? How will patients even know that they are there? Worse still, what if the healthcare professionals don’t know they are there or how to refer patients to them?

This creates a major opportunity for the healthcare industry. The NHS is now being required to market its services to the general public – a practice that represents total anathema to the traditional health service. If marketing is uncharted territory for the NHS, it is food and drink to UK medtech companies, whose relationship with healthcare professionals has been founded on the merits of the ‘four Ps’. The industry, therefore, has a great opportunity to share one of its major skill sets with a comparatively inexperienced customer-base. What’s more, with PCTs under great pressure to succeed, healthcare companies may at last find a customer who is willing to work in partnership.

Collective reform

In 2004, former Prime Minister Tony Blair stated his intention to open up “the whole of the NHS supply system so that we end up with a situation where the state is the enabler, it is the regulator, but it is not always the provider”. What’s more, the Government claims that it wants to achieve this by introducing a system built around the needs of the individual service users. These collective aims form the bedrock of the radical reforms currently being thrust onto the NHS: demand-side reform identifies patient needs and promotes the notion of choice, supply-side reform provides that choice and transaction reform creates the mechanisms that enable it. System management reform plays the part of the regulator. With the policy surrounding this tranche of reform appearing sketchy at best, the moment for healthcare companies to offer meaningful support outside of their product portfolios has at last arrived.

Seize the day

For the sales professional, the collective reform programme offers huge potential for building better relationships with customers, and for demonstrating even greater value at a time when the NHS needs it most. Sales professionals probably spend more time with customers than any other sector of the medtech workforce. In the modern market, what you do with this time will not only determine how successful your product becomes, it will also have major ramifications for the perceived value of the representative visit for healthcare professionals in the longer term.

Though the need for clinical messaging will not disappear, in addition the sales representative will need to offer a more consultative dialogue that demonstrates an understanding of local and national health priorities and how a given product can help PCTs to deliver the necessary health outcomes.

The sales representative of the future will need to provide more than simple clinical detailing. Though the need for clinical messaging will not disappear, in addition the representative will need to offer a more consultative dialogue that demonstrates an understanding of local and national health priorities and how a given product can help PCTs to deliver the necessary health outcomes.

This approach will take customer dialogue into areas such as service redesign, project management, change management and marketing. In the process, the often-criticised role of the healthcare industry in supplying the NHS will be dramatically enhanced.

On Target's four-part series on the NHS reform agenda was written by OT Editor Chris Ross. They are available online at www.ontargetmag.com. If you have an opinion on current plans for the NHS, e-mail Chris at chris.ross@healthpublishing.co.uk.

 

 

 

Through the On Target window

Welcome to the October edition of On Target, an issue that coincides with the largest exhibition of medical devices in the UK: the AfPP Congress.

Those of you who are familiar with the behemoth annual event in Harrogate will know that the AfPP exhibition provides a colourful shop window for all that is good about the industry. For those of you who aren’t, there is On Target – your monthly guide to the sector, dedicated to exploring the issues that matter most to healthcare sales and marketing professionals.

Every month, we look at the latest innovations in the market and deliver analysis and interpretation of the political, structural and operational reforms that are shaping its development. We also provide insight into how those changes are affecting your customers, and offer practical solutions and strategies to help you overcome the challenges you face.

For the past few months, On Target has focused on NHS change through a series of articles that have outlined the four major tranches of a reform agenda designed to build a patient-led health service. The series culminates this month with a look at the currently embryonic System Management Reform. Although this aspect of the Government’s programme is as yet the least developed, it promises to offer healthcare companies a clear opportunity to partner with NHS customers – and in the process, provide support and services beyond their product portfolios.

Other features this month mirror the diversity of healthcare innovation on display at the AfPP Congress. We look at a day in the life of a National Sales Manager, explore the purchasing decisions of a podiatrist, and report on an event dedicated to the rapidly evolving UK telehealth and telecare sector. In addition, our guide to facing redundancy shows how it is possible to turn your worst nightmare to your long-term advantage.

Collectively, this all aligns with our ethos that the medical devices sector is the place to be. What’s more, it shows that, alongside industry events such as the AfPP, On Target consistently showcases the UK healthcare sector as a true window of opportunity.


Chris Ross – Editor

 

 

DH declares war on hospital bugs DRASTIC NEW MEASURES to tackle healthcare-associated infections have been announced by the Department of Health. Hospitals across England will undergo a programme of intensive ‘deep cleaning’ to take them as close to their original state as possible, making it easier to maintain hygiene standards in the future. A new hospital regulator will be introduced with powers to impose fines, halt new admissions and even close down wards where hospitals do not meet hygiene requirements. Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: “We have made good progress bringing down infection rates, but we have to adopt new techniques if we are to go further. This deep-clean programme will give hospitals a one-off blitz so walls, patient equipment and ventilation ducts are disinfected and scrubbed clean, a ward at a time.” The new regulator will inspect safety and quality across all health and adult social care services. It will replace three existing bodies: the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission. For the first time, both NHS and independent sector healthcare providers will be subject to the same regulatory framework. Patients will thus have consistent information available to them when choosing their service provider. One notable implication of the DH’s new infection control measures for the healthcare industry is that sales professionals visiting hospitals will need to observe the ‘bare below the elbows’ dress code.
Rocket Medical wins Best Factory Awards MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURER ROCKET MEDICAL has won two of this year’s Best Factory Awards. The Tyneside company won the Most Improved Plant Award and the Innovation Award in the annual event run by Cranfield School of Management and Works Management magazine. The scheme recognises UK manufacturing excellence, and especially pioneering work practices. Rocket Medical, based in Washington, Tyne and Wear, manufactures plastic components for sterile medical devices. The company has developed the capability for working with customers to design, develop, test and manufacture new medical products within months. The factory is organised into cells manned by flexible teams of employees. Information about performance is posted on communications boards, which the teams discuss on a daily basis. Chris Rowlands, Editor of Works Management, said: “It’s a privilege to judge the awards, and this year what stood out for me this year has been the real thirst for improvement shown by so many manufacturers. These firms are on a quest – and those that step up to the challenge are clearly reaping the rewards.” The awards were presented at the London Hilton, Park Lane. All entrants received a free benchmarking report to help them measure themselves against their competitors.	Cardiac surgeon at heart of NHS THE NHS CHIEF EXECUTIVE has appointed a cardiac surgeon, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, as the new NHS Medical Director. Keogh will drive clinical engagement throughout the NHS and lead the work of the National Clinical Directors or ‘Tsars’. His appointment, together with that of Lord Ara Darzi as Under-Secretary of State, strengthens the voice of the surgical profession in the DH. NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson said: “I am delighted that Bruce Keogh has accepted the post of NHS Medical Director. This will put the Department’s management of the NHS on a stronger clinical footing and support the NHS locally to provide better clinical leadership – helping to support clinicians to drive change at a local level.” Keogh said: “I’m looking forward to my new role – it’s an exciting opportunity to harness the expertise, experience and talents of clinicians working on the front line to guide and implement the continuing transformation of the NHS for the benefit of our patients.” Professor Sir Bruce Keogh worked as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon in the NHS before becoming Professor of Cardiac Surgery at University College London. He is a Commissioner on the Healthcare Commission, where he chairs the Clinical Strategy Group. He was knighted in 2003.
NHS Connecting for Health without a paddle CONFUSION ABOUT ELECTRONIC PATIENT RECORDS has given NHS Connecting for Health new woes, according to a Health Select Committee report. The report blames poor clarity about what information to include in electronic patient records (EPR) and poor engagement with frontline NHS staff for delays in creating the national database, retarding the development of new IT systems within the NHS. These systems are crucial for the uptake of electronic healthcare and other medtech innovations. Kevin Barron MP, chairman of the committee, said: “There is no doubt that the use of IT in the NHS has the potential to make positive improvements in patient care, especially for those suffering with chronic illnesses, but this will only happen if people in the health service, particularly doctors, play a positive role in its implementation.” A highly centralised approach to the NHS IT programme has “stifled local activity” causing “frustration and resentment at trust level,” the report says. It recommends relaxing central control to help local trust and strategic health authorities become more actively engaged in the project. Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA’s Head of Science and Ethics, commented on the report: “Public and professional confidence in the National Programme for IT is low and its credibility is at stake. Many doctors feel that they are seeing few returns for the investment in IT.”	Medtech industry calls for innovation centres A NEW WHITE PAPER from European associations representing the medtech industry has called for the establishment of a network of national innovation centres across Europe. The Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI), together with Eucomed, the European Medical Technology Industry Association and other national associations, has presented the case for a network of National Medical Technology Innovation Centres (NMTICs) to the European Commission and national authorities. The White Paper argues that innovation is the key to enabling European society and industry to meet the challenges of an ageing population and low-cost manufacturing conditions outside the EU. It proposes the establishment of a network of NMTICs as a strategic approach to these challenges. The main success criterion for this network would be a significant increase in innovation in the medtech sector. This would boost the industry’s competitiveness and help to narrow the gap with the US in terms of investment in R&D and patient access to new medical technology. The centres would be based on a business model whose key elements are ‘Open Innovation’ and balancing market demand with technology push. Each NMTIC would act as a regional focus for innovation, providing specialist services to local companies whilst also giving access to the wider European research, innovation and commercial communities.