Training for Access in pharmaceutical jobs

The deluge of change and bureaucracy currently swamping general practice is bound to have an impact on GP availability which in turn limits opportunities for the pharmaceutical sales representative to build good relationships with their target prescribers and consequently dilutes their overall impact.

In order to overcome these barriers, it is essential to provide services or outcomes that directly address the current needs of the customer, and whilst many potential solutions exist, very few seem to have the kind of impact needed to cope with the current climate.

One need which seems to be virtually insatiable but largely unmet in primary and secondary care is for continuing professional development. Not only can this provide a value added service to customers at all levels, but carefully managed, can also provide access to previously inaccessible customers and a platform on which to build lasting relationships.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT - THE NEEDS OF THE NHS

Needs can best be identified when viewed by customer group and are based on real everyday practical requirements generated by the current changes, which have impacted upon every healthcare professional at virtually every level in the National Health Service.

Primary Care

    * Skills development Key skills such as assertiveness / stress management / communication / leadership / people management
    * Team development within the practice
    * Service development – Practice based commissioning workshops

Strategies for the alternative provision of medical services

Secondary Care

    * Skills development – presentation skills / business planning
    * Leadership and management for clinical directors and senior clinicians.
    * Personal development – in respect of individual CPD requirements.

Primary Care Organisations

    * Personal development for key targets such as prescribing advisors, clinical governance leads and PEC chairs
    * Organisational development in respect of managing change and people involved in change
    * Service development – service and process redesign within localities linked to payment by results and choose and book.

QUALITY OUTOMES - NEEDS FOR ALL PARTIES

Retrospective data has provided positive evidence that sponsored training directed at key customers has created

    * Access to key customers otherwise unseen
    * Positive development of the working relationship
    * Positive development of the profile of the sales representative, the product and the sponsoring company
    * Highly satisfied customers whose development needs are met

There is a clearly expressed need for more training and development within the NHS but their lack of self-sufficiency creates a potential opportunity for a win / win outcome for both parties.

Training and development is also ongoing and has the capacity to lend itself to long- term projects. The industry has been much criticised for it’s short termism and opportunistic approach to customers - investing in customer centred value added programmes would go a long way to redressing this imbalance. In addition the increased level of understanding and customer awareness generated by these programmes is bound to provide a competitive edge in an increasingly tight commercial environment