A selection of my news and feature writing for the November issue of Pf magazine.

1. 14 | Pf | NOV 2014
Pharma companies need to recruit, train and
retain the very best people. We take a look at
Achiive’s training methods with Managing Director
develop and sustain successful salespeople
that don’t just survive – they thrive.
What are your training methods?
We provide a number of cutting edge
experiential learning and development
simulations using iPad technology to
promote lasting behavioural change and
capability building.
Using skills competency based frameworks
we create detailed bespoke case studies that
reflect the real world and the challenges
faced. We use a series of hands on role-play
based simulations to drive behavioural
change against observable behaviours.
What type of skills do people need in
order to thrive?
There are some fundamental skills you just
can’t do without to stay ahead in business.
You’ll always benefit from having a solid
grounding in a combination of skills such
as face-to-face selling and influencing skills,
positive attitude and a CEO mindset to
harness change.
Is it important to have a good blend of
characters?
A company is only as valuable as its assets,
and no assets are more valuable than
the people that work for you and their
unique characteristics. The decisions that
people make affect the success, growth
and development of your business. A team
made up of several different compatible
personalities that complement one another
can be more productive than a team made up
of those who are so similar they cannot work
productively together. Different personality
characteristics can help motivate one another
and drive team success, morale, productivity,
problem solving and creativity
Can people apply their own style to the
job?
Yes, different people naturally prefer
a certain communication style.
Understanding your personal style of
communicating will go a long way toward
helping you to create lasting impressions
on others. By becoming more aware of how
others perceive you, you can become more
flexible and adapt more readily to other
styles of communicating.
Furthermore, everyone responds to and
needs the stimulus of all types of learning
styles to one extent or another. It’s a matter
of using emphasis that fits best with the
given situation and a person’s learning style
preferences.
How do you keep a record of an
individual’s performance?
Setting clear objectives with effective
measures can improve employee
performance by over 24%. It’s difficult for
organisations to have effective measures
in place unless they monitor employee
performance against the objectives.
We use a combination of quantitative and
qualitative methods: evaluating performance
against skill competencies and observable
behaviours, tracking change over time and
tracking key performance indicators (KPIs).
All of this information is added to personal
development plans with recommendations
and actions for ongoing performance
improvement.
What is the key to sustaining good
performance?
For good performance to be sustained, you
need to really understand what the key
drivers for the top performers are. Presenting
a compelling future is crucial to
sustaining good performance.
Outlook and attitude are also
critical elements associated with
sustained optimal performance.
There are a number of other learning
and development methods that can be
implemented to help sustain performance,
such as:
Continuous tracking and regular
assessment of performance
Ensuring that plans are implemented,
measured and monitored
Recognition, reward and
acknowledgement of individual needs
and desires.
Does the evaluation process motivate
staff to keep excelling?
Yes it certainly does; you can buy people’s
time and their physical presence, but you
cannot buy the motivation of their hearts,
minds, or souls. You must earn these
through keeping your employees motivated.
The evaluation process gives employees a
sense of purpose and a sincere feeling that
you value their wellbeing. Providing people
with insight and personal responsibility for
development is highly motivating.
What sorts of results have you seen
from performance monitoring?
The results we have seen have been
extraordinary. Especially when we see
highly experienced people demonstrating
measurable change that has a direct link to
sales growth. In some cases our simulation
has shown a direct link between our training
and patient outcomes. We have also seen that
through continued performance monitoring,
overall productivity has increased from 11-
24% tracked via sales and KPIs.
Learning to thrive
COMPANY

2. 22 | Pf | NOV 2014
T
here are currently around 3.8
million people in the UK with
diabetes, and this figure is
expected to rise to five million by
2025. Make no mistake, type 2
diabetes is an epidemic on a global scale.
The NHS spends £13.8 billion a year
treating people with the condition, the
equivalent of £25,000 a minute. It costs
between £300 and £370-a-year, per patient, to
treat and monitor diabetes, but when a patient
is admitted to hospital with complications,
this figure can leap to between £1,800 and
£2,500.
There is great hope on the horizon, however,
for sufferers of both type 1 and type 2
diabetes. With news of a possible cure for
Type 1, and a radical diet and exercise regime,
which is reported to be able to ‘cure’ Type 2
diabetes, the tide could be turning.
Ignorance not bliss
Diabetes is responsible for 24,000 premature
deaths in England and Wales every year.
According to a recent report, many British
people, at risk of developing type 2 diabetes,
are in denial and fail to report their symptoms
to the doctor, putting their long-term health
in serious jeopardy.
So-called pre-diabetes could be threatening
the health of more than 630,000 people in
the UK, who don’t realise they might have
type 2 diabetes, according to research from
the Simplyhealth Advisory Research Panel
(ShARP).
If left undetected and untreated, diabetes
can dramatically increase the chances of major
complications. Dr Gill Jenkins, from ShARP,
says: “If you ignore diabetes it doesn’t go away.
It damages blood vessels, destroys sight and
undermines almost every aspect of your health
until one day there is a crisis and it becomes
impossible to ignore.”
The ShARP study involved 2,000 Britons
aged 18-70, and found that almost half
(49%) were already displaying one or more of
the symptoms of diabetes - excessive thirst,
frequent urination, tiredness, dry mouth.
Dr Jenkins says: “A shocking number of
people are in this position and sleepwalking
towards serious health problems. It is
particularly important to be aware of your
risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially if
you’re overweight, or you have a family history
of diabetes.”
When it comes to diabetes, ignorance is not
bliss. It is potentially deadly,” he adds.
A time to diet
Of the entire NHS drugs bill, 10% goes on
diabetes medicines. Regular health checks
and awareness of potential warning signs
can help to reduce hospital admissions and
complications for type 2 diabetes patients
– but there is another solution that could
miraculously ‘cure’ diabetes in those already
suffering from the condition.
A 2011 Newcastle University research
trial led by Professor Roy Taylor suggested
that type 2 diabetes could be reversed
by following a strict 600-calorie diet for
eight weeks. The trial authors stated that
type 2 diabetes ‘is regarded as inevitably
progressive’, but successfully tested their
theory that the condition can be reversed by
What is Type 1 diabetes?
Around 10% of all diabetes is type 1 (aka insulin-dependent diabetes),
but it is the most common type of childhood diabetes, affecting
29,000 youngsters in Britain. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the cells
which make insulin are destroyed and the pancreas is unable to make
insulin, which regulates blood glucose levels. People with type 1
diabetes have to rely on regular insulin injections.
What is Type 2 diabetes?
Between 85% and 95% of all diabetes is Type 2. It usually
occurs after the age of 40. However, because of rising obesity
levels more children and young people are being diagnosed.
Treatment varies depending on the severity of the diabetes.
In some cases diet and exercise alone will resolve the issue, in
others insulin is required.
FEATURE
Do or
Although the increase in cases of diabetes is a major crisis for the NHS, for those who are
prepared to change, there is hope on the horizon

3. In January 2014, Fritz Dittman, 47,
started experiencing symptoms of diabetes,
including extreme thirst and frequent
urination. At this time he was consuming
a large amount of sweet drinks and energy
drinks, which have a very high sugar
content. When he visited the doctor in April,
he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He
was put on medication in April, but stopped
taking it in May.
Fritz completely changed his diet, and
started running 3km every other day,
whereas before he wouldn’t get much
exercise, apart from walking the dog and
taking his daughter to school. He rode
his bicycle every weekend to train for the
Normandy ride in May; 300km in 3 days.
In August 2013, Fritz weighed 19.5 stone,
and since becoming more active has gone
down to a healthier 16.8 stone, dropping
his metabolic age from 61 years to 35
years.
When checking his blood sugar levels
after this change in lifestyle, he realised
that they were within a healthy range
and stopped taking his medication. Fritz
believes that this was an acute attack of
diabetes which was cured by watching
his diet and taking up a more active
lifestyle. He still checks his blood sugar levels
every day. In September, Fritz successfully
completed a 2000km ride from Marseille to
Munich via Vienna over the Alps, and lost
another 5kg.
“Living a healthier lifestyle by losing
weight and exercising has reduced my blood
sugar levels,” says Fritz. “The alternative
is too awful to contemplate - blindness,
hearing loss, heart disease and loss of limbs.
Diabetes has been a wakeup call, and I now
have to take it seriously. Fortunately, I have
managed, by changing my lifestyle in order
to remain off the medication!”
AUTHOR
Pf | NOV 2014 | 23
a calorie controlled diet, accompanied by a
large helping of will power. Seven out of 11
patients with the condition were cured after
cutting their food intake.
Guardian journalist and type 2 diabetes
patient Richard Doughty tested the diet for
himself. After 11 days, his diabetes ‘resolved
itself’. He reported that others, in both the
UK and the US, had experienced the same
result while on the diet.
Some people are still unconvinced that
this proactive approach to diet and exercise
can actually beat the condition - 13% in
the ShARP poll were sceptical that diet
and exercise can reduce the risk, but studies
clearly show that over a ten year period, every
kilogram of weight lost cuts the risk by a
third.
Cure not kill
Type 2 diabetes is always filling newspaper
columns, while less is said about Type 1. That
changed recently, as news of a study, which
may have found a ‘cure’ for Type 1 rolled off
the press.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune
condition where the body’s immune system
destroys the insulin-producing cells of
the pancreas. There is currently no readily
available ‘cure’ for type 1 diabetes and no
way to replace these cells, meaning that
the patient must rely on lifelong insulin
injections.
A Harvard University study aimed to
see if it would be possible to develop these
insulin-producing cells from laboratory-
based stem cells. The researchers successfully
produced large numbers of functioning
stem cell-derived cells, which appeared to
be structurally similar to normal pancreatic
cells, and produced insulin in response to
glucose in the same way.
The cells functioned both in the laboratory
and also when transplanted into live mice,
including mice that had been genetically
engineered to have diabetes.
Although the research findings are
positive, it is still early stages and further
development will be needed to establish if the
cells could successfully function in humans
with type 1 diabetes.
Arjun Panesar, director of Diabetes.co.uk,
says that the research could lead to further
type 1 diabetes treatments: “It’s a fantastic
breakthrough for type 1 diabetes. This does
not, however, provide a cure, as the body’s
immune system would still kill the beta cells
secreting insulin.
“It makes some forms of new type
1 diabetes treatments possible, such as
encapsulation, something we are quite
excited about, and that could become real
with the help of the Harvard breakthrough.
This is an implant of islet cells, which have
a protective layer that stops the islet cells
getting attacked by the body.”
The Type 1 diabetes charity, JDRF, is
currently researching this concept. Arjun
adds: “If the progression of the Harvard
breakthrough leads to islet cells being
produced in the lab and encapsulated, people
with type 1 diabetes could have an implant
and not need to take insulin and perhaps
not even need to test their blood. Now that’s
exciting!”
Helping hand
There is support available for people suffering
from diabetes, centred around education and
patient empowerment. Arjun says: “If we
are able to educate people in regard to diet,
activity and lifestyle, it would significantly
help in reducing the burden on the NHS. In a
survey recently conducted on the
Diabetes.co.uk forum, 55% improved their
diet choices as a result of being a member of
the forum. We need to start with education
if we are to change the overall health of the
population.”
Type 2 myths busted
I can’t get diabetes if I don’t eat sugar
While sugar consumption has fallen by
6% in the past decade, in that period
the number of people with diabetes has
actually increased by 61%.
Only older people get diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can occur at any age. It
affects around 500 children in the UK,
while another 2,000 children and young
people are estimated to be undiagnosed.
Only overweight people get diabetes
Around 20% of people with type 2
diabetes are of a normal weight, or
underweight.
Fritz stops the cycle and starts to pedal

4. Jo Underhill, Sales & Marketing Director,
Urology, describes the Astellas ethos,
its achievements, and how the company
attracts and supports the best people
How would you describe your company
ethos/philosophy?
Changing tomorrow is our company ethos –
our dedication to discovering and producing
innovative, reliable medicines that create a
brighter future for patients in disease areas
where there is great unmet medical need.
What are your company strengths?
Astellas has achieved global category
leadership in the areas of transplantation and
urology, and we are now working to achieve
this status in oncology too. In the UK over
50% of our business is delivered through
the Urology portfolio, with Transplant and
Oncology making the balance.
Where are your commercial operations
based?
Astellas Pharma Ltd (APL) is based in
Chertsey, Surrey, UK. Astellas Pharma
EMEA (also known as Astellas Pharma
Europe Ltd) is responsible for the business
across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The company employs around 4500 people
and is established in 40 countries across
the region, overseeing a major research
and development (R&D) centre in the
Netherlands and three manufacturing plants.
What are your therapeutic specialties?
In EMEA, APEL is currently focused on six
therapeutic areas as a priority for improving the
health of people in Europe: transplantation,
urology, oncology, anti-infectives, pain
management and dermatology. Local
investment and emphasis varies depending on
the needs of the patients in that country.
What are your key products?
BETMIGATM
, XTANDITM
, ADVAGRAFTM
,
DIFICLIRTM
, QUTENZATM
, VESOMNITM
.
What makes Astellas a great place to
work?
For Astellas, people are at the heart of
everything we do. Our vision is simple – to
produce medicines that change tomorrow
for patients in need. Above all, our entire
approach is built around the needs of the
people and communities we support.
How do you attract and retain the best
employees?
Astellas is committed to being an employer
of choice, attracting the industry’s top
talent and nurturing a work environment
that enables employees to flourish and
achieve their highest potential. This
means ensuring the people who work at
Astellas is a progressive and fast-growing company founded in 2005 through the merger
of Yamanouchi and Fujisawa - combining nearly two centuries of collective experience in
producing innovative and reliable medicines. Astellas means ‘shining light on tomorrow’ and
that encapsulates the company’s vision, bringing future hope to patients.
24 | Pf | NOV 2014
Astellas:
Changing
tomorrow
COMPANY

5. Astellas receive outstanding support and
opportunities across all aspects of working
life.
How do you keep your staff motivated?
At Astellas, we believe it’s about creating an
environment where people really do matter
and their contribution is recognised and
rewarded, and it’s about creating a culture
that allows people to be themselves, to
be authentic and feel they are personally
making a difference and utilising their
skills.
What have been the major company
milestones over the last five years?
Astellas are really proud of the PMEA
nominations for Pharmaceutical Company
of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In
2010 we won company of the year with
our engaging 2 year goal – 100 Million
by 2010. In November 2013 we were
announced Pharmaceutical Company of
the Year at the international SCRIP Awards
recognising outstanding achievement by a
pharma company, including commercial
successes and pipeline development.
What does your future product pipeline
look like?
Our robust pipeline results from in-house
drug discovery and development combined
with in-licensing/collaborations with other
research organisations with complementary
capabilities. In 2013/14, 18% of global
sales were invested in R&D, contributing
to a diverse pipeline with balanced early/
late-stage assets. EMEA launched three
new treatments in 2013 (XTANDITM
,
BETMIGATM
and VESOMNITM
) and
anticipates that a further seven new
treatments will launch in Europe over the
next five years.
What sets Astellas apart from other
pharmaceutical companies?
In our opinion, it is our brands, our values
and most importantly our people. On the
sales side, our success is being driven by our
new products, particularly XTANDITM
and
BETMIGATM
. Our core values are STAR:
Success driven, Team orientated, Adaptable
and Respectful. We believe it is vital to recruit
employees whose values fit with our own.
We create a work environment where our
people believe they make a difference. We are
committed to providing our employees an
opportunity to make their mark.
Astellas’ account managers, executives and
representatives have the dual role of forging
close ties with doctors and other healthcare
professionals through visits to hospitals and
clinics, and providing accurate information
on drugs to medical professionals and payers.
Every representative is not only
meticulously informed on the details of
their pharmaceutical products, but is also
possessed of high-level specialist knowledge
of competitors’ drugs in the same category
and comprehensively knowledgeable of
target diseases. They also gather valuable
feedback from medical staff on the efficacy
and safety of Astellas’ drugs, data which is
used to inform the research and development
process to produce ever safer and more
effective drugs.
All Astellas’ representatives are committed
to continually raising standards and helping to
meet patients’ needs through close collaborative
working with healthcare professionals.
What do Astellas’ employees
think?
One of the most reliable benchmarks of
a company’s success is what its employees
think of their role and the company they
work for. If you have a satisfied workforce,
you have employee engagement, loyalty,
a willingness to work hard, and a low
staff turnover. The Pf Survey benchmarks
employee satisfaction, and in 2014,
Astellas’ employees described what it is
like to work for this forward-thinking
company. One summed it up perfectly:
“I have been given the utmost respect,
clear instructions as to my role, worked in
tandem with employees across all areas and
enjoyed it immensely. My manager displays
the right amount of supportive guidance
and just letting me get on with it. I feel
secure, valued and part of the team”
Pf | NOV 2014 | 25
According to the 2014 Pf
Survey, the overwhelming
feel motivated to stay with the
company due to their belief in
its strong products:
Employee satisfaction with
belief in present products:
94%
Employees who want to stay
with the company or move
position within the company:
89%
NPR14135UK

6. The recent conference season saw the main political parties falling over
themselves to promise us lots of sweets, treats and hip hop beatz if we vote for
them. Inevitably healthcare will prove the most seductive tune for voters wanting
to try new moves.
26 | Pf | NOV 2014
Hard to swallow?
COVER

7. RED ARROW
FUNDING The Conservatives promised a
real-terms increase in funding over the five
years of the next parliament, but are being
evasive about how much above inflation this
would be.
ACCESS TO GPs The Conservatives’
headline pledge is that patients will be
able to access a GP from 8am to 8pm,
seven days a week, by 2020, backed by a
commitment to tackle the GP recruitment
crisis, and train 5,000 more GPs. Quite
how this will be paid for has current GPs -
groaning under the strain of overstretched
daily surgery - scratching their heads.
DRUGS The UK’s first ever Life Sciences
Minister and, indeed, friend of Pf, George
Freeman, has pledged to ensure that,
“NHS patients have access to effective
medicines on terms that represent value
to the NHS and taxpayers”. He aims to
do this by delivering a programme of
cultural change through joint working,
between the NHS and industry [Change
the record!]. NHS England, meanwhile,
has pledged a £160m boost over two years
for the Cancer Drugs Fund, giving more
patients access to innovative treatment,
which hasn’t been routinely available on
the NHS.
DATA When he was appointed Health
Secretary, Jeremy Hunt declared it
his personal mission to have a ‘data
revolution’ in the NHS, and the lesser-
spotted ‘care.data’ scheme, due to be
rolled out soon (allegedly), was delayed in
order to give voters the chance to better
understand how their data will be used.
It has, however, been reported that many
members of the public are still unaware
of the scheme and opposition MPs
have been pointing and laughing at the
frequent movement of ‘implementation
day’. At the party’s annual conference,
Hunt reaffirmed the Tories’ commitment
to pharmacists being allowed access to
patients’ records, with the consent of
patients. Minister for Pharmacy, Earl
Howe, also acknowledged the importance
of including pharmacy in the integration
agenda, as part of multi-disciplinary
working in the healthcare mix.
CLINICAL TRIALS The European
Clinical Trials Directive (CTD) poses a
barrier to the conducting of clinical trials in
the European Union, while the regulatory
and governance landscape in the UK can pose
further bureaucracy. According to the most
recent report on clinical trials, from the House
of Commons Science and Technology Select
Commitee, the Government has so far failed
to eliminate the requirement for numerous,
and potentially duplicate, governance
approvals from participating NHS
organisations. This is the biggest obstacle to
clinical trials in the UK, and although the
government’s relaunch of the ‘UK Clinical
Trials Gateway’ sought to keep the public
informed of research opportunities, this has
only been partially successful.
COMPETITION Jeremy Hunt’s
conference speech quietly commended the
benefits of private sector involvement in
the NHS, elegantly sidestepping the issue:
“We must not stop new ideas that come
from outside the NHS – whether from
charities or, yes, the independent sector.
Secure NHS funding backed by a strong
economy is the foundation”.
INTEGRATED CARE Jeremy Hunt
called for the integration of health and
social care systems in his conference
speech, citing that from next April, 150
local authority areas will be working
together with their local NHS on
Better Care plans, leading to pool
commissioning, reduce emergency
admissions and share medical records. It
has to be said Hunt is a quietly confident
Health Secretary these days, and it’s
starting to show.
FUNDING Branded as plain old ‘deceit’
and ‘hypocritical posturing’ by the coalition,
Labour’s headline-grabbing promise to create
a £2.5bn ‘Time To Care Fund’, won’t be
implemented until 2017/18 – much longer
than expected. It is not currently obvious
if this fund will be established, on top of a
real-terms NHS funding increase, as Labour
is currently keeping their overall spending
plans a secret.
ACCESS TO GPs Promises, such as
guaranteeing every patient will be able to
secure a GP appointment within 48 hours,
were greeted with derision by the Tories
(not to mention GPs and their battle worn
receptionists).
DRUGS Labour wants to see a more
preventative, ‘non-medical’ approach to
healthcare. The party’s vision is to enable
people to stay healthy in their homes
for longer, through prevention and early
intervention.
DATA Shadow health secretary Andy
Burnham has poured scorn on delays to
Jeremy Hunt’s care.data scheme, calling it a
“masterclass in incompetence”, and accusing
him of presiding over, “a spectacular collapse
in confidence in the use of patient data”.
While they’re pulling faces at the tories,
however, it’s not immediately obvious how
Labour plans to handle patient data.
CLINICAL TRIALS Glenis Willmott,
MEP for the Labour party, has steered
draft legislation through the European
Parliament, allowing pharmaceutical
companies and academic researchers post
the results of clinical trials, undertaken in
Europe, on a publicly accessible database.
She said: “This will make trials more
transparent, give hope to patients needing
new and better treatments, and boost the
number of skilled research jobs in Europe”.
COMPETITION In their ‘Health and
Care Final Policy Document’, Labour began
by slapping a big proprietorial hand on the
broad shoulder of the NHS. “The NHS is
the Labour Party’s greatest achievement”,
they proudly announced. Shame the Tories
have wrecked it with their “agenda of ever
greater privatisation and fragmentation”,
they added. Labour has long made clear their
intention to repeal the unpopular Health
and Social Care Act of 2012, specifically
‘Part 3’ which is all about competition’s
place in the health service. Andy Burnham
has pledged to reduce the amount of cash
that foundation trusts can rake in from
outside sources, cementing his belief that the
NHS must always be the preferred service
provider. He also envisages a future where
the health watchdog, Monitor, will take
on a new role to promote integrated care,
while keeping a watchful eye on local health
economies to ensure their sustainability.
Pf | NOV 2014 | 27
BLUE VELVET
Labour’s last tango
Tories second swing
AUTHOR

8. INTEGRATED CARE ‘We can fix the
broken NHS’, cried Andy Burnham and his
acolytes! It’s a vision of grand proportions
– it’s about ‘One Nation’ now, where
collaboration and integration, collaborate
and integrate. It’s about creating a place
where patients aren’t simply seen as the
problem, with an annoying set of issues, but
as a whole person whose physical, mental
and social needs are all taken into account
when a GP makes an assessment. Let’s all
have a group hug.
FUNDING All parties pledged to increase
NHS funding from their magic hat of cash,
but the Lib Dems – for what it’s worth - offered
the clearest commitment to this yet. They
acknowledged that the immediate financial
pressures, faced by a skint NHS, are really quite
serious, therefore, in common with the Tories,
they promise a real-terms increase in NHS
funding of an extra £1 billion in 2016/17 and
2017/18.
ACCESS TO GPs The Lib Dems are
committed to GP surgeries being open in the
evenings and weekends, encouraging practices
to work together in federations. As with the
Tory promise of greater access to GP services
(copycats!), healthcare professionals are left
wondering how on earth this will become
reality.
DRUGS Their pre-manifesto manifesto states
that the Lib Dems are great believers in the
‘prevention is better than cure’ stance: “We must
do more to prevent illness and disease, instead of
just treating problems when they arise”.
DATA Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert
has praised the “benefits” of Hunt’s care.data
programme, but added that the data was “hard
to anonymise”, which risked public confidence
in the system. Lib Dems state that the user
should control their own data, and always have
the opportunity to opt out of data-sharing.
CLINICAL TRIALS More investment
in drugs R&D is on the menu, with the
party pledging to, “invest in research and set
ambitious goals to improve outcomes for the
most serious life-threatening diseases, like cancer
and long-term conditions, like dementia”.
COMPETITION The Lib Dems state that
NHS mergers will no longer come under the
jurisdiction of the Competition and Markets
Authority, and commissioners will not have to
put all services out to tender.
INTEGRATED CARE The Lib Dems have
outlined plans to jointly commission a range
of local services, by extending integrated
care to other public services through ‘Better
Outcomes Boards’. In common with Labour,
the Lib Dems want to strengthen the role
of health and wellbeing boards, meaning
that they could commission GP services.
Minister of State for Care and Support,
Norman Lamb, stated that he would like
to see all health and social care funding
brought together in one big melting pot by
2018, although this is not yet official policy.
FUNDING UKIP promises to keep the
NHS free to all, while redirecting cash
to frontline services. The party points
out that Labour’s support of Private
Finance Initiatives will have cost the NHS
£300bn by the time they have run their
course, and that this money could have
transformed the NHS. Which is all well
and good, but accusations don’t pay the
bills do they? And exactly how UKIP
would change things is somewhat fuzzy.
Meanwhile, those immigrants are at it
again, bringing their ‘health tourism’ over
here and draining our already drained
resources. Under Farage, they’ll be forced
to take out health insurance, as part of
visa requirements, and the money saved
from this gatekeeping activity will see
hospital parking charges abolished. In
your face, multi-culture!
ACCESS TO GPs Rebutting Labour’s
claims that UKIP will charge patients
to visit their GPs, UKIP’s healthcare
spokesperson, Lousise Bours stated:
‘UKIP will ensure the NHS remains free
at the point of delivery and need. A two
tier national health system, where those
with money can opt to pay for enhanced
services will never be acceptable.’ Bours
is proudly pushing those political bully
boys out of the way and “standing up for
the NHS”, but the fighting talk doesn’t
stop there. Labour has been playing dirty,
according to Ms Bours, by accusing UKIP
of seeking wholesale privatisation of the
health service, and smoking behind the
bike sheds. UKIP’s defence has been
conspicuous by the absence of Tory-based
attacks, making the possibility of a new
blue and mauve coalition as terrifying as
the colour scheme.
DRUGS From a 2010 UKIP policy
statement: “A UKIP Government will
allow any doctor or ‘herbal and traditional
medicine practitioner’ to prescribe herbal
medicines.” Weird. There’s no concrete
news, yet, on whether this still stands as
part of their 2015 manifesto.
DATA “UKIP opposes the sale of NHS
data to third parties.” Er…that’s it.
CLINICAL TRIALS Nigel Farage didn’t
turn up to vote for or against clinical trials
transparency at the European Parliament
in April, while a number of his colleagues
excitedly voted “no!”, earning themselves
this judgement from Ben Goldacre:
“It takes a particular kind of moron to
actively vote in favour of secrecy around
trial results”.
COMPETITION UKIP were left red-
faced after their Deputy Leader Paul
Nuttall posted a letter on his website (since
deleted), which stated: “The very existence
of the NHS stifles competition”, and also
congratulated the coalition for “bringing a
whiff of privatisation into the beleaguered
National Health Service”. In April,
Farage said that he thought corporations
should be permitted to run the NHS,
when he told the Telegraph: “When you
occasionally hear of a big businessman
that saying he’d like to run the NHS,
and streamline it, and get better value
for money, I think that’s the approach
we’ve got to take.” Meanwhile, another
earlier proposal over which a discreet veil
has been drawn, was the bizarre notion
that patients could obtain ‘health credit
vouchers’ enabling them to opt out of
NHS care altogether and buy insurance
policies from private companies instead.
INTEGRATED CARE No news on
this as yet, they’re still too embroiled in
the “who loves the NHS more, UKIP or
Labour?” slanging match.
MAUVE AWAY
Pound stretcher pogo
ORANGE CRUSH
Lib dems dumped
28 | Pf | NOV 2014
COVER

9. 30 | Pf | NOV 2014
Ooh Young man
Professor Tony Young has been named by NHS England as the new National Clinical Director for Innovation, to
provide clinical leadership and support in delivering improved health outcomes for the UK. Prof Young called it an
“honour”, to be appointed to the role.
Come on Aileen
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has appointed Aileen Thompson as the
organisation’s new Director of Communications. She will play a pivotal role in highlighting the value that the
pharma industry brings to the UK and will be responsible for the ABPI’s engagement with external stakeholders.
You’re putting in the hours and getting results and you
think it’s high time for a pay rise – so how do you go about
to presenting your case
1. Know your worth
Your mum knows you’re worth your weight in gold, but your
superiors may take a little more persuading. Presenting a valid case
for a pay rise is all about a measured approach – demonstrate that
you consistently go above and beyond the call of duty, by going back
over your job description and highlighting how often you go the
extra mile by taking on extra responsibilities.
2. Figure it out
If you can quantify your contribution in figures, your bosses are
more likely to sit up and take notice of your request for more cash.
By how much have you exceeded your targets? How many new
clients have you secured? This will clearly indicate how much you are
worth, in a language that the money men can understand.
3. Compare the market
Do your research to find out exactly how your current salary
and benefits compare to others in a similar position to yours.
Be realistic: plucking a figure out of the air, which will
comfortably pay for an annual trip to Barbados and private
school fees, will undermine your credibility. Scour trade
magazines (like Pf) for surveys containing information on
industry salaries; check comparable job ads online and in the
papers and ask your peers (though be discreet, companies will
normally have policies on pay confidentiality, but appreciate
that some may not wish or be able to share the info).
4. Get it down on paper
Once you have established your arguments and evidence for a pay
rise, type it up as a formal document to present to your manager. This
document should state a clear case and will serve to justify your request
not only to your boss, but also his or her superiors, who will have the
final sign-off.
5. Avoid an ambush
No matter how eager you are to convince your manager that you’re
the best thing since sliced bagels, don’t spring this on them while
they’re boiling the kettle first thing on Monday morning. Request
a performance review and specify that you would like to talk about
your salary. Also be sensitive to how the company is doing – if jobs
have recently been cut then you may need to wait, but if your firm is
celebrating a rise in profits, you could be in luck. And if they say no?
Bide your time. Throwing a hissy fit and threatening to leave will only
burn bridges you may need to cross in the future.
COO-coo-ca-choo
Carlyn Solomon has been appointed as Hill-Rom’s new chief operating officer (COO). Formerly of Edwards
Lifesciences, Mr Solomon will now have responsibility for all of Hill-Rom’s global commercial, research and
development, quality assurance, regulatory affairs and supply chain operations.
The Pf team have been very saddened
to hear that Mark Cole - last month’s
inspirational High Flyer - has passed
away. Mark’s colleagues at Shire have
paid glowing tributes to their friend:
“Mark was a giant of a man whose
character, passion and heart more than
matched his stature. His enthusiasm
was infectious and he was respected,
liked and loved by those who worked
around him. We are going to miss him
every day.”
Mark Cole remembered
Show me the money

10. Pf | MARCH 2014 | 31
“At the point of job offer, the final hurdle
in closing the deal is to make sure you gain
the financial package that’s right for you,
while also bearing in mind your potential
employer’s point of view.
There are several essential steps to ensure
the negotiation runs smoothly. Firstly, be
clear to the agency from the outset, that
you are working with exactly what you
are looking for in terms of basic salary
and package. The best way to do this is
to think in advance about what package
requirements you would desire as a
minimum. Make sure this is communicated
to the agency, as they will use this as a
reference point when putting your CV
forward for roles.
Be realistic in your expectations, as
companies will more often than not have
a choice of potential candidates and you
could run the risk of pricing yourself too
high or, perhaps, too low.
When applying for a role, ensure right
from the beginning that the salary bracket,
and package for a position, specifically
matches your requirements. The agency will
know what your expectations are already;
however, needs can change. We therefore
recommend you consider positions on a
role-by-role basis, taking the time to look
closely at the overall package to ensure it is
in line with your requirements.
A common mistake is to not have thought
about this enough at the start of your job
search, and then go through an interview
process, only to find out that you actually
require a higher basic than what is on offer.
Think in advance, with regard to the other
parts of the package. For example, some
companies offer a company car, others offer
car allowances. Factors like this may have
an impact on your decision about accepting
the job. If these steps have been taken, there
should be no surprises and you will be able to
successfully negotiate in order to secure the
position for which you have worked so hard.”
Andy Anderson
Recruitment Director, Evolve Selection
| |0844 357 7332 / 0113 871 0001
www.evolveselection.co.uk / recruitment@evolveselection.co.uk
Name: Brian Marnane
Job: UK National Healthcare Manager
Time in current role: 21 months
Time in pharma: 13 years
First job: Hospital Specialist Rep
Success is...
Personal to you, everyone defines it
differently.
What sets you apart in the work place?
Being conscientious, driven and doing
everything I do to the best of my ability
What techniques have you used to ‘climb
the ladder’?
Take every situation as an opportunity to
learn and improve your skills and experience.
Innovate – identify solutions to existing
challenges and always consider what else you
could be doing to add more value to your
interactions with colleagues and customers?
What is more important to success:
ambition or talent?
Both are important, but you also need a bit
of luck along the way.
What drives you on?
Delivering results and promises, while
always striving for better.
What would you consider the major
milestones of your professional life?
Winning the Account Management award
at the 2009 Pf Awards, and becoming UK
National Healthcare Manager for Scope
Ophthalmics.
What advice would you offer an
ambitious colleague?
Remain focused on your end goals, work
as hard as you possibly can and don’t give
up, as you will eventually be recognised and
given the opportunity you want and deserve.
Where would you like to be five years
from now in terms of professional
progression?
Leading the team considered to be ‘best in
class’ by our customers.
How important is professional
development when getting ahead in a
work environment?
It’s always important to feel you are working
towards something. Having the support
and tools in place to enable you to develop
effectively and to deliver the best of your
ability is also very important.
Have you got/had a mentor?
I’ve never had a formal mentor. There are
people I have worked with throughout my
career that I have learnt from and aspired to
be like, which has
been a great help.
Why is working
hard and
achieving success
important to you?
I want to fulfil my
potential.