Time for an upgrade

This is, according to business custom, the time when we encourage you to keep all your New Year resolutions: meet your call targets, get the message across, add value to every communication, study your NLP manual, think outside the box, reach for the low-hanging fruit, and never ever think of yourself as an intelligent human being in a complex world.

But isn’t all that just a bit last century? It’s time for an upgrade. On Target will help you to keep abreast of new developments and new ideas in the medical technologies industry and the world of healthcare. There’s no point meeting your call targets if you’re calling the wrong people. There’s no point getting the message across if it’s the wrong message. You may find yourself thinking outside the box while your career is nailed firmly inside it.

With our eyes set on the brave new world of NHS reform, our lead article looks at Lord Darzi’s ‘next stage review’ of the NHS. As a practising colorectal surgeon, Darzi can be expected to cut the crap. His interim report has a strong positive message for the medtech industry. A new Healthcare Innovation Council, £100 million to drive the uptake of new technologies, tough talk on infection control, a kick up the hard drive for the NHS’s lethargic IT structure... the future is bright for those UK medtech companies that can engage creatively with the new NHS and its priorities.

This article is followed by some thoughts from John Wilkinson, Secretary General of the ABHI, on the prospects for medtech innovation in the UK. He applauds the positive steps being taken by the Darzi review, but warns that it won’t be easy: the winter is still here, and nice (or even NICE) words won’t get the car started. A lot still has to change, and the industry can be a vital part of that process.

This issue sees the first of a new On Target series of interviews, ‘The Burning Question’, in which we ask industry and NHS professionals key questions about the healthcare market. This time we ask a Community Matron about the rapidly expanding and developing market for healthcare in the community: who are the customers, where are they, and what are they looking for?

A further article deals with the opportunities 2008 may offer On Target readers who are looking for a change of career direction. Whether the answer is a new product line, a move to head office or field training, or a different kind of company, your skills and experience will lift you out of last year’s rut and show you the way forward.

And just as a reminder that narrow thinking and doubletalk are not unique to the commercial environment, we offer an informal guide to the terrifying new world of NHS bullshit. Don’t be a stakeholder, be a holder of the stake!

Have a great year in 2008.

Chris Ross
Editor

 

 

 

As free as a bird

Will the New Year bring you a change of career direction? Ann Pinn of Delta Consultants looks at how healthcare sales representatives can move between roles and/or companies.

Most people who have made the decision to move into healthcare sales are ambitious and keen to find out how their skills can be used in a different environment. Few see themselves as career sales people, staying on the road until retirement. Many are naturally gregarious, and field sales can be a lonely life. There are many options when looking for a new role, however, and careful thought should be given to embarking on a new career direction.

Time to change

Many people start in sales as a route to a marketing or product specialist role. They want to be part of the strategic and tactical team that influences the future direction of business within the company. This is quite a logical transition. The thrill of the close is not always lost for the individual, as good companies send their marketing people out with customers on a regular basis to do joint visits and assist the sale.

Companies will often sponsor their employees to take qualifications with the Institute of Marketing – if they don’t, this is a step worth taking on your own if you are seriously considering a marketing career.

Some people who consider themselves natural presenters and have responsibility for training in their current role may decide to pursue a training career, and people who are good at their jobs often want to pass on their knowledge in this way.

Many people perceive the way forward in their career to be the management of people. But of course, not all good sales people make good managers and not all managers want to move their best sales people into management – think of the potential lost business! This is short-sighted of course, and a quality employer will encourage talent to progress – but sometimes the only option for the ambitious sales person is to change employer.

It is also worth remembering that some companies want to see movement so that fresh talent can be brought in with different thoughts and ideas. This sometimes creates a win/win situation for all parties, and means progression can be achieved.

Running the game

The challenges of managing a team are manifold. The first step is being able to convince a future employer (or even your own boss) that you have the potential. How do you get experience if no-one will give you the chance to get the experience? This ‘Catch 22’ situation is well known.

For most people, the solution is to see an opportunity and grab it with both hands. When a key person leaves, you should be in there with a plan that gives a distinct advantage to the business as well as yourself. Be confident and assertive, but above all ensure that the company can see the benefit of you in that position.

The next challenge is working with a team who have been your peers, with whom you moaned about the management, with whom you stayed up late in the bar revealing your innermost secrets at sales meetings... and now you are appraising them, constructively criticising them and helping them to do a job you once did alongside them. No wonder people often move to another company to become a manager.

But in the end it is all about respect – which can be earned in the course of your work. How many times have you heard someone say “the right person got the job”? Wouldn’t it be good if they were saying that about you?

A restless spirit

However, there comes a time in every job where there is nowhere left to go and nothing left to learn – or it is simply time to move on for a new challenge, a new experience, a time to grow elsewhere. All company cultures are different, and by experiencing more than one you can form new ideas and develop new ways of looking at things.

Small companies obviously operate in a different way from large ones, and this can lead to culture shock. In a smaller company it is often the case that decisions are made faster, ideas are more readily listened to and everything moves at a faster pace. But resources are often limited, as career progression may be.

In larger corporate companies, the decision-making process is often slower, more laborious and frequently frustrating. But they have the funds and resources for more advertising, bigger budgets for marketing, larger expense accounts, and in theory more potential for career progression.

A change in product line can also present a challenge – for example, selling surgical gloves or similar consumables calls for different skills than selling high-tech ultrasound equipment or robotic units. How are these skills learnt, and how can sales people prepare themselves for the transition?

On the consumables side, the competition is tough. You may be dealing with buyers who are more interested in saving money than in product quality – this is a recurrent issue in the current NHS climate. Invariably, your company will be asking you to sell on quality and stressing that price should not be the issue!

On the high-tech equipment side, it can take many months before an order is secured by working with a variety of customers at all levels. Exhilarating when the order is won – but frustrating when it’s lost and the company is shut out for the next few years. Not just at one site, but maybe over a whole area.

The road ahead

Changing role or company is more traumatic than most people realise. We spend more of our waking hours at work than with our family or friends. Each company has a different culture, and people often need to adjust their outlook and attitude to fit in. But if you find you need to change your personality, it’s the wrong step for you. We all have tremendous potential if we honestly ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Moving beyond your comfort zone will help you to grow, but putting on a false front to get a new job or promotion will only cause inner and outer conflict. One day they will find out who you really are.

Using a recruitment company to further your career can be more helpful than just putting your CV forward to a potential new employer. Good agencies will get to know you, your motivations and your ambitions, and match your personality to the company culture. If they don’t, and they try and persuade you to go for roles you feel are not you, don’t go back to them.

The agency should be giving you interview advice, telling you about the people in the company and discussing your career progression there. It shouldn’t end when you start work: you should be able to call them with any issues or concerns in the first few months. A third party can often see solutions when the involved parties do not.

The great thing about today is that it’s a candidate’s market. There are quite a few good job opportunities around, and a scarcity of good people. You are in demand. You need to ensure that your skills are recognised and your employer is able to nurture your talent, as you may have to do for your staff in the future.

A great future can be yours – if you are prepared to take a risk.

 

 

In Stitches by Dr Nick Edwards (Friday Books, £7.99 pb)

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This controversial book by an A&E doctor dissects the harsh realities of NHS reform at the frontline of emergency healthcare. Dr Nick Edwards (a pseudonym) has little time for the bureaucracy, rhetoric and target culture of the ‘new’ NHS. He emphasises that 98% of the blog entries that make up this book were written in under four hours.

Originally written to let off steam at the end of a shift, these mini-essays vary from personal accounts of helping people in crisis to satirical lists (for example, of acronyms for types of patient) and impassioned critiques of current NHS policies. The pressures and conflicts of A&E are much in evidence, as are the varied pathologies of patient behaviour. Some of these anecdotes are clinically enlightening; some are tragic; some are hilarious.

Some particularly memorable passages deal with: why walls should be given ASBOs; the male patient whose ‘accident’ with a mobile phone required surgery; how hospital funds are diverted from frontline care to extra management whose purpose is to drive ‘efficiency’; a long New Year’s Eve shift in A&E; the elderly patient with an original definition of ‘health visitor’; and why people so often harm themselves.

Reading this book brings to mind George Bernard Shaw’s comment: Life does not stop being serious when people laugh or stop being funny when people die. For the healthcare sales representative, A&E doctors may not be direct customers – trust procurement managers are likely to purchase for them – but they are the end users of many life-saving products. This book will tell you much about their experience, their motives and the challenges they face.

www.thefridayproject.co.uk

On Target special book offer

Southbank Publishing are offering a free copy of In Stitches by Dr Nick Edwards to the first 4 On Target readers who answer this question correctly: Who plays Charlie Fairhead in the BBC drama ‘Casualty’?

Send your answer to
joel.lane@healthpublishing.co.uk.

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni (Wiley, £15.99 hb) “How many people here get excited about coming to work? How many of you are in a good mood when you’re driving here every day?” Brian might as well have asked them if they liked being beaten with a stick. No one raised their hand. A few of them actually laughed out loud. Reading Lencioni is like being slapped in the face with a warm trifle: hugely surprising at first and then very sweet, very sticky and very difficult to ignore. The Three Signs of a Miserable Job is the sixth in his series of wellrespected and widely read fables. To put him in context, this is a man who’s worked with the best to make them better, from start-ups to the higher echelons of the Fortune 500, to infinity and beyond. His words are enormously readable, his lessons easy to digest and easier to act on. Brian, the superhero of this tale, has been teased out of semi-retirement and casual days on the snowmobile to turn around the fickle fortunes of a roadside diner. From delivery driver to manager, its workers come with contentment issues. Brian throws them into the blender to establish three metrics of their misery: Anonymity, Irrelevance and Immeasurement. You won’t find the last of those in the dictionary, but it’s one you won’t forget. Lencioni draws together the threads of his theory with the skill of a Svengali; his influence is strong, his messages go deep. But don’t take my word for it. In the October issue of On Target the National Sales Manager at one of the UK’s best-known healthcare companies goes on record as saying that her sales teams “live and breathe the Patrick Lencioni Five Dysfunctions of a Team model”. Buy, read, enjoy, learn. David Learner is Business Development and Resourcing Manager at Delta Consultants. www.wiley.com

On Target special offer winners: free copies of Marker by Robin Cook were won by Gary Rogers, Cristina McDowall and Rob Sawyer. Will it be you next time?

 

 

 

NHS Bullshit Bingo

Ron Snargitt offers a guide to the dialect of the new NHS – a unique blend of official and commercial bullshit.

The next meeting you have with an NHS customer – be it a clinician, a hospital manager or a procurement hub – listen to their language, and your own. If you have ticked off most of the phrases on the card below within an hour, don’t shout ‘Bingo!’ Just ask yourself what was really being said.

NHS trust

It’s not that the terms themselves are bullshit – it’s all about how they are used. As with corporate bullshit, jargon phrases start to replace real descriptions, and as a result the language slowly drifts away from reality. What people say and what they mean become two different things.

    Improved patient outcomes – a mantra attached routinely to any policy short of mass slaughter.
    Modernisation programme – the implementation of modern policies. We know they are modern because they are part of a modernisation programme.
    Efficiency savings – money saved by cutting services. The word ‘efficiency’ makes this sound better.
    Changing the culture (of the NHS) – a good way to blame staff for the mistakes of management. The Department of Health never says that it needs to change.
    Stakeholders – this word gives a warm glow of belonging to whoever is being taken for granted.
    Agenda for Change – the logo on the envelope containing a P45.
    Healthcare in the community – this is only a bullshit term when used to make sick people invisible.
    Cutting waiting times – ditto. NHS target culture abounds with such terms.
    Level playing field – an excellent spin phrase, as it normalises any amount of disruption.
    Internal competition – a way of making chaos sound like a new order.
    Competitive tendering – sounds much better than more realistic expressions like ‘franchising’, ‘broken down’ and ‘the lowest bidder’.
    Patient choice – this is putting the language of sales into the patient’s mouth. It assumes that patients want the NHS to be a shopping mall.
    Patient-led NHS – a name for the system we think patients ought to want.
    Demand-side reform and supply-side reform – like ‘synergies’ or ‘right-sizing’, the word ‘reform’ is pure spin.
    Public-private partnership – like ‘merger’, the word ‘partnership’ suggests common interest without doing much to earn that meaning.

Common language

Just as you owe it to your customers not to mystify (or ‘bullshitise’) your own sales intentions, you owe it to them not to mystify their organisational goals and rules. That means not buying into NHS jargon any more than is strictly necessary – though in a world of bullshit, true clarity may well seem an unrealisable dream.

Thanks are due to Graham Edmonds, the author of Bullshit Bingo, for the inspiration behind this rant. Bullshit Bingo is available from Southbank Publishing (see www.southbankpublishing.com).

Ron Snargitt is a healthcare journalist.

On Target special offer
You can order Bullshit Bingo for the special price of £3.99 including free p&p in the UK (normally £6.99 + p&p) by phoning Turnaround Publishers Services on 0208 8293002 and quoting ‘Health publishing offer’.

 

 

 

What does ‘healthcare in the community’ mean for the medtech industry?

In the first of our new series of interviews addressing crucial questions for the industry, Julie Lindo, a Community Matron in Nottingham, talks to On Target about a growing healthcare market.

1. From your perspective, what does ‘healthcare in the community’ mean for the medical technologies industry?

The growing burden of chronic disease has exposed the limitations of traditional care delivery systems – an estimated 17 million people in the UK live with at least one longterm medical condition. Specific needs arise from the ongoing and sometimes complex task of managing not only the physical aspects of chronic illness, but the impact on an individual’s emotional, psychological and social functioning.

From the perspective of a Community Matron, ‘healthcare in the community’ means working as a member of a broad multidisciplinary integrated health and social care team to promote the health and independence of those with the most complex health needs and their carers. The primary goal is to deliver proactively the least invasive care in the least invasive setting, with the aim of improving quality of life and reducing the frequency of unplanned hospital admissions.

With this in mind, the medical technologies industry needs to produce tools, devices and technologies that are ‘needs-led’ rather than ‘technology-driven’ – the most appropriate solutions for individual needs. The products must have the potential to promote quality of life, increase life expectancy and complement face-to-face contact.

2. What part does the purchasing of healthcare products and the commissioning of services play in your role as Community Matron?

In the grand scheme of things, the Community Matron role is in its infancy. Currently, work is in progress to provide an infrastructure that supports the case management of people with multiple and/or complex long-term conditions more effectively in the community. Until this infrastructure is in place, demonstrating the Community Matron’s contribution towards meeting Government targets – which includes a reduction in the number of unplanned hospital admissions – will be challenging.

Community Matrons contribute towards the commissioning of services by presenting end of month figures that identify interventions likely to prevent unplanned admissions and any gaps in pathway/clinical approach/treatment and service provision that lead to hospitalisation. We also identify patients who we feel would benefit from telehealth. These figures feed into the process of commissioning services.

As the commissioning responsibility of the PCT grows and the provider function becomes increasingly one ‘at arm’s length’ from the PCT, it is essential that Community Matrons deliver a cost-effective, quality service (as part of the wider long-term conditions management team) to ensure that the service continues to be commissioned. If appropriate healthcare technologies are available – for example, telehealth equipment, ambulatory diagnostics equipment (such as portable ECG monitors and spirometers) and rapid point of care testing equipment – optimisation of the skill mix across the long-term conditions management teams can be promoted.

Clinical support workers and technicians could be trained to support remote monitoring of vital signs and carry out investigations under the guidance of qualified practitioners. This would free up those with advanced clinical skills to attend to patients requiring face-to-face contact.

As long-term conditions teams expand, I would envisage a commissioning role developing within the team when alternative service providers demonstrate the ability to meet the needs of the diverse patient group.

Community Matrons inevitably use healthcare products on a day-to-day basis, as their role is 75% clinical. Their feedback is sought in relation to purchasing decisions. A pilot of telehealth remote monitoring equipment has recently been undertaken with patients on Community Matron caseloads in Nottingham City PCT. Positive evaluation has led to a decision to purchase further units for use by Community Matrons and other case man- Julie Lindo agers, such as heart failure and COPD nurses.

3. What distinctive features does medical equipment need to have for the community healthcare market?

Medical equipment manufactured specifically for the community healthcare market should be compact and robust, with minimal hardwiring requirements. It should take advantage of any existing technologies already installed in the patient home, such as mobile phones, digital televisions and PCs. It should be easy to operate by patients and carers, with appropriate levels of training as part of the purchasing package. Those installing the equipment should be able to set parameters easily that meet the monitoring needs of patients with multiple conditions, and there should also be an efficient, prompt aftercare service. The equipment should also be officially evaluated.

4. What advice would you give, in terms of sales approach and customer service, to healthcare representatives who are working with Community Matrons?

Nottingham PCT has a policy related to contact with healthcare representatives that employees are expected to abide by. However, it is essential that Community Matrons are in a position to explore new developments in health technologies. There are appropriate professional meetings that could be used by representatives to introduce new products. These can be accessed by contacting service clinical leads.

The best-received sales approaches are usually the most professional, honest and credible. ‘Real’ case studies from an appropriate community setting are valuable when demonstrating the uses of a product, and help to put things into context.

5. What do you see as the key challenges you will face in the near future, and how can the healthcare industry help you?

Key challenges include an ageing population, with the inevitable increase in the occurrence of long-term conditions; changing patterns of service provision driven by practice-based commissioning; and workforce redesign. The overall challenge ahead is for services to improve care, provide a better patient experience and offer greater value for money.

The healthcare industry can help by endeavouring to understand the case management environment, and by producing equipment and systems that support the achievement of these overall objectives. There needs to be ongoing dialogue with clinicians and end users, so that the healthcare technologies industry can be aware of the challenges involved in providing care to patients who are living at home with varying monitoring needs.

When used with the right patients, assistive technology has the potential to support early discharge schemes. When used intensively over a short period of time, it has the potential to uncover unsuspected, treatable co-morbidities. Healthcare technologies have also been found to improve patients’ and carers’ sense of security and, by providing direct positive feedback, to encourage compliance with medication regimens.

When care providers and the healthcare technologies industry work together, equipment and systems can be developed that are user-friendly, good value for money and fit for purpose.

The medical technologies industry needs to produce tools, devices and technologies that... have the potential to promote quality of life, increase life expectancy and complement face-to face contact.

 

 

 

Medtech events in 2008

On Target offers a guide to the key healthcare technology exhibitions in the coming year. Are these in your diary?

Arab Health 28–31 January 2008 Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE The Arab Health exhibition and congress is the premier healthcare event for the Middle East, bringing healthcare manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and distributors together with influential health decision makers in the Arab world.	UKRC Congress 2–4 June 2008 NIA, ICC & Austin Court, Birmingham The UK Radiology Congress (UKRC) is the largest medical imaging conference and exhibition in the UK. The specialist exhibition covers all aspects of diagnostic imaging, oncology and radiology informatics.
MEDTEC UK NEC, Birmingham Formerly the MDT event, MEDTEC UK is the UK’s only exhibition and conference for the medical device manufacturing industry: a showcase for leading suppliers of parts and services used in the manufacture of medical devices and IVD products.	AfPP 44th Annual Congress & Exhibition 6–9 October 2008 Harrogate International Centre The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) Exhibition is the largest showcase for medical devices in the UK. At last year’s event, nearly 200 medtech companies displayed products for perioperative care to over 2500 visitors. The theme for Congress 2008 is ‘Guiding practice – ensuring standards!’
BCS Annual Scientific Conference 2–4 June 2008 Manchester Central The British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference has an associated specialist exhibition, showcasing technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disorders.	Medica: 40th World Forum for Medicine 19–22 November 2008 Düsseldorf, Germany An international trade fair with congress, Medica is the leading global exhibition for medical technologies. Last year it attracted more than 280 UK companies and over 13,000 visitors from around the world.

 

New Product Manager for Baxter BAXTER HEALTHCARE LTD has appointed Josh Gissing as Product Manager in the Antibody Therapy business. Josh will be responsible for Baxter’s antibody therapy treatments, and will be managing three of the main product areas. Josh previously worked in specialist sales roles with Astra Zeneca and Pfizer. His last role was as a Senior Hospital Territory Manager at Janssen- Cilag, where he spent most of his last year in a product management role. “Josh’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable for the Antibody Therapy business. His enthusiasm, creativity and interpersonal skills make Josh ideal for his new role. We wish him every success,” said Paul East, Group Product Manager, Baxter Healthcare. Baxter Healthcare Ltd is the primary UK operating subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., an international healthcare company that specialises in the treatment of complex medical conditions.

Expansion at Advance H E A L T H C A R E RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST Advance Recruitment has appointed Elizabeth Robinson to its team. M a n a g i n g Director Nick Langley commented that with an ever-growing number of key accounts, it is vital to have skills on board to make sure that clients and candidates experience the best possible recruitment process. Elizabeth has an extensive recruitment background: she has covered numerous sectors (including accountancy/finance, creative and recruitment to recruitment), and brings innovative ideas for finding the best talent in the medical sales arena. Elizabeth will be helping Advance to take its healthcare sales and marketing recruitment to a new level. She said that she is determined to cement Advance’s position as a leading player in this sector.

Delta Consultants celebrate 20 years DELTA CONSULTANTS, specialists in scientific and medical devices recruitment, have celebrated their Emerald anniversary as providers of recruitment-enabling services. Delta are based in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, and cover the UK and parts of Europe from their offices in the Old Courthouse. They attribute their 20 years of success to listening to the needs of their candidates and clients and keeping close to their industry. Delta are members of BIVDA and IBMS Company, and have also exhibited at AfPP. Working predominantly in the scientific and medical industries, Delta coined the phrase ‘Recruitment Science®’ to describe their approach. As members of the REC, the professional body that represents the recruitment industry, Delta have achieved the confederation’s Certificate of Inspection. Delta Consultants would like to thank all their clients and candidates, who have made the past 20 years possible and allowed them a platform for the future.

New CEO at Consort Medical UK MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANY Consort Medical PLC has promoted finance director Jon Glenn to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Glenn replaces Mark Throdahl, who leaves Consort Medical after six years in the role. Chairman John Robinson said: “Jon has done an excellent job as finance director and the board is delighted to appoint him as CEO. He has a first-class knowledge of the company and the leadership skills to take Consort Medical successfully into the future.” Paul Boughton, an executive director and qualified chartered accountant, will be acting finance director until an external appointment is made. Consort Medical, formerly Bespak PLC, is a leading manufacturer of medical devices for inhaled drug delivery and airway management. Glenn, 39, was appointed group finance director in 2006. From 1998 to 2005 he was global head of finance of Celltech Group plc. In 2005 he became chief financial officer of Akubio, a developer of instrumentation for the life sciences industry.

Larval therapy, senior appointments UK BIOSURGICAL COMPANY ZOOBIOTIC, a supplier of innovative wound care therapies, has made two key appointments. Gill Davies joins the team as Sales and Marketing Manager. Gill spent the last seven years working in Johnson & Johnson’s Advanced Wound Care division, where she specialised in wound management. Suzanne Morgan joins as Quality and Regulatory Manager. Her previous roles include lead medical device auditor and technical reviewer with SGS UK, a global leader in inspection, verification, testing and certification. Based in Bridgend, ZooBiotic specialises in larval therapy for the treatment of infected and necrotic wounds (see page 4). Dr. Tim Coombs, CEO of ZooBiotic, said: “With Gill’s experience in wound management, and her passion for improving patient outcomes, we hope to see widespread recognition of the enormous benefits associated with larval therapy. Suzanne’s immense experience in quality assurance and regulation will be invaluable in enhancing our spectrum of innovative products.”

STAR still shining bright HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL RECRUITMENT company STAR has retained the prestigious Investors in People accreditation that was first given to them five years ago. In those five years, the STAR team has expanded from two employees to 17 – with seven new recruits in 2007 alone. This reflects the company’s steadily growing reputation in a changing industry. The Investors in People assessors noted that systems and processes, attitudes and behaviours had continued to improve, and that despite internal and industry changes the positive culture within the organisation had remained or grown stronger. They also noted that non-office based staff, such as the growing team of contract reps, “confirm they have received a professional and timely service from the team”. With this excellent grounding, STAR look forward to further success in healthcare and medical contracting, outsourcing and resourcing.

2007 growth sparks renewed focus for Zenopa HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT COMPANY Zenopa has expanded its operations for 2008 with the creation of two distinct business divisions: Sales and Executive Recruitment. The move follows significant growth in 2007, and sees the appointment of Jane Whiley as the company’s first dedicated Medical Executive Recruiter. The new focus allows Jane, in her fifth year as a Zenopa recruiter, to exclusively resource the Zenopa Executive Candidate pool within the medical devices and equipment sector, gaining insight into the experience and motivations of candidates seeking sales, marketing and board appointments. “Jane is a true expert in the medical devices industry and has the qualities and skills to exceed all expectations as our Executive Recruiter,” said Mark Britton, Zenopa’s Business Unit Manager. “I have no doubt she will continue to grow her enviable reputation and fill many key appointments in the medical devices Industry. I am delighted that our organic growth plan continues to deliver results for ourselves and the wider industry.” Jane successfully completed the Diploma in Recruitment Practice (DipRP) in 2007.

Talentmark gains new talent SPECIALIST HEALTHCARE AND LIFE SCIENCE recruitment company Talentmark has appointed David Barrett to manage senior-level commercial assignments in the UK and Europe. David has over 10 years’ retained executive search experience up to board level. His recruitment success is supported by senior commercial roles with blue chip companies including P&G. Richard Adams, International VP of Talentmark, said: “We are delighted to have David join our team to support our recent growth and contribute to further planned expansion of our services. David’s reputation, experience, energy and expertise in managing assignments of varying complexity augur well for his early success to the benefit of our clients and Talentmark.” Founded in 1971, Talentmark is a leader in healthcare and life science recruitment for senior commercial, scientific and technical executive roles in the UK and internationally.

 

 

In the fourth of our series on industry high flyers, Sean Brennan, National Sales Manager for Eschmann Equipment, talks to On Target about his working life.

1. How would you define your role?

As the National Sales Manager, my primary role within Eschmann is – in conjunction with a team of Area Sales Managers – to secure orders for our range of products and services. Irrespective of job title, I still consider myself to be fundamentally a professional sales person and take great satisfaction from winning business and being part of a successful team. At all times it is crucial that we are meeting our customers’ needs, and it is my responsibility to make sure that we utilise the resources of our team efficiently and effectively. I also place great importance on ensuring that we fulfil our promises and succeed by listening carefully to our customers.

2. What happens in your typical working day? How do you organise your time?

One of the great things about my role is that no two working days are the same. Working for a UK manufacturing company selling products into the operating theatre environment and the dental community means that, apart from the responsibility of being involved in face-to-face meetings with customers, motivating and managing the sales team and dealing with the usual wide range of questions on a daily basis, I am regularly involved in discussion with my R&D and manufacturing colleagues concerning the continuous development of our product range and services to meet the constantly evolving needs of our customers and our marketplace.

The fact that I have this interface from customer- and field-based activity directly to the point of manufacture, I believe, makes my role quite unique and allows us as a company to forge excellent, long-standing relationships with our customers.

Regarding my time management, I try to be well planned and prepared and to fully utilise the technology available to me as my unpaid helper. As I would encourage any member of the Sales Team to do, a key objective in my monthly planning schedule is to make sure that as much time as possible is spent in front of the customer in a productive manner. Our business is nothing without our customers, and it is vitally important at all levels within our company that we do all we can to provide the best products and services possible.

3. How is your market changing, and how does that affect how you sell?

Technology development now moves at a much greater pace than it did ten years ago, and the entire sales and support solution has to reflect this. The process we go through from generating an enquiry to being awarded business has also changed over the last few years, and is now in most cases a longer one involving multiple ‘stakeholders’ covering many specialties across the healthcare environment. While technology and purchasing processes have changed in recent years, for me the fundamental role of a sales person is to interact with the customers. Change is good and we should embrace it – but in a ‘Day in the Life’ of any sales professional in any industry sector, for me the old saying that ‘people buy from people’ still holds true.

 

 

Blood glucose checking made simple A NEW BLOOD GLUCOSE monitoring system from global healthcare company Roche looks similar to a mobile phone. The new Accu-Chek Compact Plus is a three-in-one solution comprising a detachable lancing device, a test strip drum with 17 test strips and a meter with a bright self-illuminating display – combining all the necessary measurement tools in one instrument. Users can measure their blood glucose levels more easily than before: the new Compact Plus has a drum with 17 built-in test strips, which eliminates strip handling. One push of the button and the strip appears, ready to use, making the process simple, fast and hygienic. The reading can be seen after 5 seconds. The user needs only one hand to operate the measurement functions, as the device has a detachable finger pricker. The choice of 11 depths (from 0.8mm to 2.3mm) allows for virtually pain-free blood sampling. Accu-Chek Compact Plus is available from pharmacies, diabetes clinics or direct from Roche. Patient use is supported by the all-year Accu-Chek Customer Care Line. Roche Diabetes Care is a pioneer in the development of blood glucose monitoring systems. For more information about the Accu-Chek brand, visit www.accu-chek.com.

New monitor is a breath of fresh air UK RESPIRATORY DEVICE COMPANY Bedfont Scientific has launched a major new product to aid in the management of asthma. The hand-held NObreath monitor uses new technology to improve the lives of asthma sufferers and reduce NHS prescription costs. Bedfont received a local prize for innovation at the Medway Business Awards for the NObreath, an innovative and affordable monitor that measures the levels of nitric oxide (NO) on the patient’s breath. The monitor allows asthma to be better managed with inhaled steroids, improving symptom control and quality of life. The NHS will also save on prescription costs by ensuring accurate prescription and better dosage compliance. Technical manager Phil Bromley said: “This is a much anticipated new product for Bedfont. The way we have used this new technology will make breath NO monitoring available to a far greater population of asthma sufferers.” It is reported that 5.2 million people in the UK suffer from asthma, costing the NHS £889m per year. The cost of treating an asthma attack in hospital is 3.5 times that of treating well-controlled asthma. Based in Rochester, Bedfont Scientific is a leading supplier of respiratory devices. For more details, visit www.bedfont.com.

Toshiba launches breakthrough CT system

MEDICAL IMAGING COMPANY Toshiba Medical Systems has introduced the world’s first dynamic volume computed tomography (CT) system worldwide.

The AquilionONE™ system could reduce diagnosis time for life-threatening diseases such as stroke and heart disease from days or hours to minutes.

Unlike any other CT system, the AquilionONE can scan a single organ such as the heart or brain in one rotation, eliminating the need to reconstruct from slices and allowing dynamic blood flow and function to be seen. This reduces examination time as well as radiation and contrast dose.

“The introduction of dynamic volume CT marks an important milestone in the history of computed tomography,” said Doug Ryan, senior director, CT Business Unit, Toshiba America Medical Systems.

“AquilionONE establishes a new frontier in CT imaging, offering advanced applications that can significantly enhance patient care while reducing the cost of healthcare.”

Currently, stroke diagnosis can take hours, as CT scans may need to be followed up with MRI and other exams. Patients with suspected heart disease are typically given multiple tests requiring days. With the AquilionONE, a single examination can provide all the necessary data in a matter of minutes.

Toshiba Medical Systems is a leading global provider of diagnostic imaging systems. For more details, visit www.medical.toshiba.com.

Siemens unveils new imaging generation SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS has launched its new range of Artis zee® systems for interventional imaging in the UK. The new generation of Artis zee systems offer enhanced image quality and versatility, helping to streamline workflow across a variety of clinical environments. The new Artis zeego® features a multi-axis C-arm that allows virtually unrestricted positioning. This additional flexibility supports advanced 3-D imaging techniques, including cross-sectional imaging. The Artis zeego enables advanced imaging such as large-volume syngo DynaCT scans, which make it possible to view the entire abdomen or liver and to gain views of the skull, neck or spine. The system’s flexibility makes it effective in operating rooms. Pre- and post-operative imaging can be performed in the same room, enabling surgery to be started without transferring the patient. “The Artis zee family brings enhanced versatility to drive workflow improvements that can help to meet the increasing volume in interventional procedures, no matter what the clinical setting,” said Claus Grill, vice president, Angiography, Cardiac and X-ray Systems, Siemens Medical Solutions. Siemens Medical Solutions is a world leader in the field of diagnostic and interventional imaging. For more details, visit www.siemens.co.uk/medical.

Telehealth solution for COPD and CHF WALSALL AND HULL have implemented major telehealth projects to monitor people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) in their own homes. Both PCTs are using Tunstall’s Genesis monitors to ensure best use of healthcare resources, reduce hospital admissions, support independent living and deliver improved quality of life. In Walsall, telehealth is being used to help patients with COPD manage their condition at home. Research has shown that use of Genesis monitors can reduce the need to hospitalise COPD sufferers by over 50%. Tony Diaram, Project Manager at Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, said: “This telehealth project will give patients truly person-centred care, helping them to avoid the constant cycle of hospitalisation. Tunstall Genesis units support greater independence and encourage better self-management of COPD.” The telehealth programme being run by Hull PCT uses Genesis units to let patients with CHF monitor their own weight and blood pressure. Clare Brown, Telehealth Lead at Hull City Council, commented: “The Tunstall Genesis monitors allow us to track a patient’s condition closely while they remain in their home, which is proven to help their well-being, yet we can still react quickly if their condition worsens. It truly is a win-win situation for both patients and PCT.” Yorkshire-based company Tunstall is a leading e-health supplier. For more details, visit www.tunstall.co.uk.

Removing dressings without pain

A NEW, PAINLESS WAY TO REMOVE MEDICAL ADHESIVES and prevent skin damage will be showcased at Arab Health 2008.

Created by Trio Healthcare, a UK specialist in stoma care, incontinence care and wound care products, the silicone-based Niltac™ aerosol allows dressings to be removed without causing pain or trauma.

The hypoallergenic Niltac aerosol spray, which dries in seconds with no residue, even removes high-tack adhesives such as wound dressings and external condom catheters without causing skin trauma. Niltac does not affect the adhesion of the next appliance or dressing.

Trio Healthcare will also showcase its new Silesse™ range of wipes and soft-pump spray, which use silicone-based technology to prevent the damage and irritation caused by adhesives and body fluids.

John Chacksfield, Managing Director of Trio Healthcare, said: “Feedback we receive shows how key our products are in improving patient care. For example, one of our patients recently described Silesse as ‘fantastic’, as its ability to prevent discomfort or soreness meant that for the first time in 39 years she did not notice her (ostomy) appliance.”

Trio Healthcare is based in Skipton, North Yorkshire. For more details, visit www.triohealthcare.co.uk.

 

 

 

John Wilkinson, ABHI Director General, looks at the prospects for innovative medtech companies in 2008.

The late and slow uptake of innovative technologies by the NHS has long been a weakness of our healthcare system, and was highlighted in the first influential Wanless Report. British patients have often lost out as new treatments available in other countries only arrive in UK hospitals after a lapse of years. A wider implication of this trend has been the damage being done to the UK economy as technology start-ups – valued in other countries – are forced to move overseas to find funding and markets.

Technology boost

One of the key aims of the joint industry/Government initiative, the Healthcare Industries Task Force (HITF), was to address this problem of take-up of new technologies. After a period of uncertainty, UK Government policy now seems to be recognising the adoption challenges facing the NHS laid out in HITF. The interim report of the NHS next stage review being conducted by Lord Darzi announced the creation of a Health Innovation Council with a budget of £100 million to “act as the overarching guardian for innovation from discovery through to adoption, holding the Department of Health and the NHS to account for taking up innovation and helping overcome barriers to doing so”.

Also, in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review this October the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, pledged to fund in full the recommendations of Sir David Cooksey’s review into health research funding to maximise the translation of research excellence into health and economic benefit. This will take Department of Health research and development spending to over £1 billion by 2010–11. This increase, taken with the £682 million from the Medical Research Council, will help take the single fund for health research to £1.7 billion.

Vision and value

The Comprehensive Spending Review also states that the Government wishes to save money by “reducing variations in productivity across the NHS by spreading new technologies and best practice across the NHS”. According to the CSR, “reducing such unnecessary variation could potentially generate net cash savings of £1.5 billion per year by 2010–11”.

This is accompanied by a commitment to improve procurement practices, which the Government claims could “realise net cash-releasing savings of up to £1bn per year by 2011”. We must hope that this does not signal a continuation of the cost-cutting measures that have contributed to the current poor level of uptake of new technologies by the NHS, without reference to the increased productivity that innovation has brought in other sectors of the economy.

In order for Britain to continue to develop world-class technologies a healthy domestic market is essential, and in order for that to be maintained we need an NHS that procures intelligently, placing an emphasis on value rather than cost.

John Wilkinson is the Director General of the Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI). More information about the ABHI is available on their website at www.abhi.org.uk.