South London Healthcare may become the first NHS hospital trust to be declared bankrupt after accumulating debts of £69m.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has warned the trust that an administrator may be brought in to sort out its finances. The trust could also be dissolved and certain services closed as a result.

Mr Lansley said in a letter that he realises not all of the debts are the trust’s fault. However, he added that problems must be “tackled” and that “we are almost at this point”.

The trust merged three London hospitals in 2009: Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington, Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup, and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.

When the three joined to form one organisation, the trust inherited a large debt through a private finance initiative (PFI) that had been used for the buildings at Orpington and Woolwich.

If the Health Secretary decides to disband the trust, it would not necessarily mean that all services would close as another NHS organisation or a private provider could take over responsibilities.

Government ministers are thought to be considering a deal which would see taxpayers taking over responsibility for the £2.5bn PFI contract.

But the option of emergency funding to reduce the deficit is not being considered in a move which ministers believe would allow other trusts to assume similar bailouts.

Mike Farrar, Chief Executive at the NHS Confederation, welcomed the move by the Health Secretary. “The NHS can’t go on with short-term fixes to financial problems,” he said. “That might mean some tough decisions, but hopefully will deliver financial sustainability in the long term.”

Chris Streather, Chief Executive of South London Healthcare, said talks were now ongoing with the Department of Health and NHS London to decide the “best future” for the trust.

“The most important thing is that the health needs of the local population are sorted out,” he said. “Over the last three and a half years since we have merged we have made an enormous amount of progress on quality of care.

“There is a huge gap in our financial plan in order for us to become viable in the long term and this intervention if it solves that problem which it is designed to do is absolutely welcome and will be helpful.”

A decision is expected on the future of South London Healthcare in the middle of July.

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has licensed a new rapid meningitis diagnostic test for worldwide exclusive marketing rights.

The new test, developed by scientists at the Royal Victoria Hospital and commercialised by Irish start-up company HiberGene Diagnostics, uses an emerging molecular method known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), that can to provide reliable diagnosis within an hour.

Meningitis is a difficult disease to diagnose as symptoms are typically flu-like. Standard laboratory tests take at least 24 hours to process, and there is a need for rapid and accurate results to allow earlier confirmation to enable earlier treatment.

Brendan Farrell, CEO of HiberGene Diagnostics said: “We are particularly pleased to have secured exclusive rights to the meningitis test from the Belfast Trust. Clinical validation of the test has shown a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 99.7% which is excellent.”

Consultant Paediatrician Professor Mike Shields, who led the research, said: “Meningitis presents a clinical challenge for the emergency department doctor because the patient's symptoms can be non-specific.

“No doctor wants to send a seriously sick child home, which is why this new diagnostic test holds such promise. When this test is available it will have the potential to save many lives.”

HiberGene Diagnostics Ltd is a start-up client company of NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at the University College Dublin.

The company plans to market the test in the first half of 2012 and is in discussions with potential distribution partners in the US and Europe.

In the pharmaceutical industry one of the biggest challenges is to manage large events which require certain levels of privacy, whilst also ensuring they are hosted in professional and accessible venues. Simon Hunter shares his knowledge on how to make the most of your venue and event.

A high profile venue is a prominent, well known, iconic space which has a range of facilities to offer, and a reputation for hosting annual industry exhibitions or summits for international brands.

Discretion and privacy are key attributes of hosting events at high profile venues. If there are well-known guests present or sensitive intellectual property being shared – a new scientific discovery or drug, for example, then this kind of venue is ideal.

Experience pays

Other advantages of high profile venues include a proven track record in hosting different sizes of events in-house. For example, Chelsea Football Club manages fixtures attracting 42,000 guests who need to be managed onsite and this translates to the events team and experienced in-house security. The higher profile the venue or the bigger the event brand, the more strategies will already be in place which can help.

With regards to security, trust the staff and the in-house teams; they will have the benefit of experience organising private events, managing arrangements for high profile guests, and advising on the best way to utilise facilities. A good venue will take you through all stages of the event and should ask in advance of any special requirements, schedules or VIP attendees.

Ensure that all channels of communication are left open during the event itself so that staff  know of any last minute alterations. This will also guarantee that event organisers look professional, with the additional help of the venue’s catering, service and after-care.

Deciding outcomes

Knowing your audience and the objectives you want to achieve from any event will be a great help in selecting a venue. It is therefore vital to outline these clearly before approaching any venues for suggested briefs. Following this, there are some useful points to bear in mind which will make selecting a suitable venue easier.

Consider the components of your event to make sure you select somewhere that can accommodate them all. For example, consider whether the event will be an annual conference with a gala dinner and accommodation; whether you need separate facilities for VIP guests; and the possibility of needing to bring in equipment for demonstrations or exhibitions.

Venues which offer numerous events spaces, like a music venue, accommodation, restaurants and an exclusive spa can be ideal for organisers wishing to combine many activities within one event. It will also reduce the need for a separate transport budget to transfer guests from between conferences and seminars, for example.

Every event organiser should be constantly focussed on how to get maximum results for minimum cost. Look for a venue that whilst impressive, offers a range of packages and choose the one that suits your audience and your budget.

Simon Hunter is the Head of Venue at Chelsea Football Club.

Midlands medical device company Judd Medical Ltd has been contracted by the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust to supply 103 sets of reusable surgical instruments.

The instruments, which will be used at the Mater Hospital to support the Trust’s ongoing decontamination project, cover a range of specialities including hysterectomy, cervical sections and abdominal surgery.

Peter Judd, the company’s Managing Director, said: “Judd Medical worked closely with the Trust during the various stages of the contract in order to fulfil the specific needs and requirements of the Trust.

“Our range of specialised surgical instrumentation is uniquely manufactured in the UK and we are extremely proud to be amongst the few remaining British manufacturers of surgical instruments.”

Judd Medical’s instrumentation is manufactured by sister company Incus Surgical Ltd. Both companies have ISO-approved quality management systems.

Judd Medical is based in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

The pharmaceutical industry needs to address the gap between discovery and invention, delegates at the 2011 NICE annual conference heard.

In a session entitled ‘Working better together: The NHS and the life sciences industry’, Patrick Valance, Senior Vice President, Medicines Development and Discovery, GSK (pictured), argued that the increases in biomedical understanding over the last few years have not translated into an increase in new medicines.

He went on to say that the industry needs to develop medicines for areas of unmet need to rebuild trust and that many companies are looking to niche patient groups within wider disease areas to do that.

Valance, also said that, although there will always be competing interests, the NHS and the industry have “more common aims than is often realised”, as everyone wants drugs that will make a difference.

Mark Wilkinson, Director of Life Sciences Innovation at NHS North West, who was also involved in the session, pointed out that the need for increased trust is a “two-way street”, as the industry also needs to have confidence in NHS payers that its innovative drugs will be used.

He also expressed optimism that communication and collaboration with the industry would improve once GP commissioning comes into effect, as GPs are a group used to working with pharma professionals.

Earlier in the conference, delegates heard how Sir Michael Rawlins intends to integrate health and social care services in his final 12-months as Chairman of NICE.

Addressing the conference for the 12th time, the Chairman said he “strongly supports” health and social care services working closely together in the future and he “relished the challenge” of creating a closer working environment.

“It is crucial that we join up health and social care services to prevent another case of neglect like Victoria Climbie,” said Professor Rawlins.

“We will be doing social care in most of the areas where we have already done a guideline. But the evidence base will be different so we are in a learning and listening mode at the moment.”

Professor Rawlins went on to say he had “no problem” with the introduction of value-based pricing and was proud of the Institute’s development under his chairmanship.

“We have produced over 800 individual pieces of guidance over the last 12 years,” he added. “From 1999- 2010 we produced 204 technology appraisals, and contrary to popular belief we only say no in about 10% of cases.

“We have also produced 130 clinical guidelines, 380 pieces of guidance on interventional procedures and 31 pieces of public health guidance which have had real traction in helping to improve healthcare.”

By Chris Ross, Pf Editor

At the height of the political expenses scandal in 2009, a national survey found that only one UK profession was trusted less than MPs – and that was journalists. Naturally, I blame Roger Cook, Panorama and the local reporters on the Walford Gazette. Two years later and it seems little has changed. The News of the World has accepted liability in the hacking of a handful of celebrities’ phones and, once again, the ‘good’ name of journalism is being dragged through the mud. And so hacks all over the country face a mighty challenge to regain the trust of the public – if they ever had it in the first place. Yes, I know, let’s get the violins out.

But trust, in any profession, is a vital component. The pharmaceutical industry knows this only too well – it’s been battling the issue for many years. If the papers are to be believed (oh, the irony!) there are few industries trusted less than pharma. The ‘bad’ press has been giving the drug sector a bad press for eons. And, as the industry’s main mechanism for getting messages to market, medical sales professionals are often accused of being at the root of the problem. “Trust me, I’m a drug rep,” doesn’t sound terribly convincing.

In 2009, Pf ran an interview with former ABPI President Chris Brinsmead, who said that the future role of the field force would be to facilitate NHS/industry partnerships – but for that to succeed, the industry would need to address the issue of trust among its customer-base. He said that the sector, and indeed sales professionals, must look at its ‘behaviours’ and be open and transparent in its engagement with the NHS.

On the face of it, the industry has done this – and continues to work hard to build levels of trust with its customers. But is the message being heard? Perhaps not. A recent online poll showed that readers of Pharmaceutical Field identified customers’ lack of trust in the industry as the biggest barrier to facilitating NHS/industry partnerships. A clear majority (61%) of medical sales professionals cite trust as the key issue blighting the NHS/industry relationship, with only 7% claiming there are no barriers at all.

Cynics will argue that this is simply a convenient smokescreen to explain a lack of real progress in developing the partnership agenda: “It’s not my fault. I’m trying to collaborate with my customers, but they just don’t trust the industry.”

After all, perception is nine tenths of the law – and if the general perception is that doctors don’t trust the pharmaceutical industry, it’s a pretty safe excuse to hide behind. But pharmaceutical sales professionals should be better than that.

The issue of a lack of trust between sales rep and doctor is, quite possibly, an outdated red herring. Historically there have been some strong relationships between clinicians and pharma. There has been a lot of contact, healthy dialogue and genuine collaboration. Arguably, the barrier has been at NHS management level (chiefly in PCTs) where, it would seem, a deeper scepticism of industry still exists. The challenge has been to put the trust into the Primary Care Trust, but, for the industry, it appears that success has been limited.

The NHS landscape is, of course, changing. Assuming the government’s stuttering reform programme survives parliament, PCTs will soon disappear into the sunset and new healthcare decision-makers will emerge. The opportunities for progress are there now.

The austerity era and the need to find efficiencies is driving a greater need for partnership working between the NHS and industry, and, as such, the willingness to work together will no doubt grow. In turn, sales professionals must continue to demonstrate their value in the delivery of healthcare and build transparent and honest business-to-business relationships with their customers.

Hiding behind old and clichéd stereotypes will get us nowhere.

This is, of course, just my view. But as you know, you can trust me, I’m a journalist.

Contact the author: chris.ross@healthpublishing.co.uk