Getting Into the Pipeline
By coincidence, the New Statesman (a left leaning political journal) and Pfizer have just published the transcript of an interesting round-table discussion on the theme 'Can We Afford Medical Progress?'
Chaired by Nick Timmins (Public Policy Editor of the Financial Times), the participants include Joe Collier, Professor of Medicines Policy & Clinical Pharmacology, St George's Hospital Medical School, Sir Muir Gray, Programmes Director, UK National Screening Programme and John Healey MP, Financial Secretary to HM Treasury. If I listed the other 10 participants and their titles I'd be worn out!The discussion, though a little disjointed, gives readers a real flavour of the key issues associated with this key question. You can download the transcript here.
Amongst other things, participants touch on:
- Can the NHS get better at adopting new technologies and drugs?
- Might pharmaceutical companies get more efficient by stopping the more unpromising drug programmes at an earlier stage?
- Whether the research pipeline needs to be refocused on addressing diseases that are likely to be more of a priority for society?
- Whether expenditure on the NHS can ever be seen as an investment (like it is in Education) rather than a cost drain on the public purse?
Reading the discussion has set me thinking about how we really need to get better at helping senior clinicians and managers in Trusts and PCTs gain a better appreciation of 'whats in the pipeline' and how these developments might influence the need to signifiacntly reshape services and roles. At the moment it feels to me that all this 'stuff' is happeniing in a parallel universe.
A packet of asprins is on offer to anyone with a good idea!
Steve
nhs
pharmacology
technology
innovation
Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 12:40PM
by
Steve Pashley
in Change Management, Policy
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Steve Pashley
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