ABPI (www.abpi.org.uk)
The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry and sets the regulations by which Representatives must operate. This includes what hospitality can be offered to GPs etc and the way in which reps get to see GPs for example. The ABPI exam must be passed
NICE (www.nice.org.uk)
The role of NICE is to provide guidance to the NHS based on clinical effectiveness (importance to public health) and cost effectiveness (Efficiency) of drugs. The regulators (national MCA and regional EMEA) provide ruling only upon Safety and Efficacy.
The National Health Service (www.nhs.uk)
The NHS was set up in 1948 and is now the largest organisation in Europe. It is recognised as one of the best health services in the world by the World Health Organisation but there need to be improvements to cope with the demands of the 21st century. The NHS is changing the way it works to make sure patients always come first. This has brought about some fundamental changes in the way the NHS is structured and the way in which the different organisations within the NHS relate to each other.
Department of Health (www.dh.gov.uk )
National Service Frameworks: The NSFs are a programme of government initiatives targeted upon major health and disease areas. They set standards and objectives across the NHS and indicate the appropriate services that ought to be available in primary and secondary care (from doctors, nurses and consultants in practise).
Primary Care Trusts
There are currently 152 Primary Care Trusts in England. They manage and deliver primary care services, in place of the defunct health authorities. The PCTs control services provided by GP's and in the local community, such as community nurses and commission hospital services, employing community staff, e.g. district nurses and health visitors. Primary care trusts manage NHS expenditure, managing budgets for local services and hospital care. The Government will still influence the PCTs through the national service frameworks (e.g. for diabetes, the performance assessment framework and National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) which advises the NHS as to whether a drug, already passed for efficacy, is cost effective to be prescribed.
NHS Trusts
There are currently 275 NHS trusts in England all run by their own board of Directors. Trusts must match the same national targets, successfully partner other primary care providers and provide efficient services. The Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts are the new primary targets for Pharmaceutical marketing. (along-side Physician and Clinician Detailing).
