With NHS reforms requiring budget savings of £20bn by 2015, and the market becoming increasingly price sensitive, it may come as a surprise to hear that it isn’t the companies with the lowest unit cost that are being most successful. The development of a value proposition and health economic arguments has, for some time, been common place for most forward thinking medical devices businesses.

Health economics….

• A quality, reliable product can be more expensive per unit, but provides holistic cost savings in the longer term.
• As well as significantly improved patient outcomes, a quality product also benefits the individual trust and the NHS more broadly by impacting on waiting lists, infection prevention rates, efficiencies, preventable re-admissions etc.

Do you, however, invest the same level of forethought into your talent acquisition strategies? Or does the pressure to fill a vacancy as cheaply as possible become the focus?  At RMG we see clear parallels between health economics and good recruitment practice;

Efficiencies = Recruitment can be a wholly inefficient and time consuming process, briefing numerous agencies, screening poor quality and irrelevant CVs, interviewing inappropriate candidates, and even at offer stage there is still a huge amount of work required to generate a successful outcome.  Working with the right, “dedicated” recruitment partner however, allows your recruiting managers to get on with their day job, making profit secure in the knowledge that someone better suited is driving an effective recruitment process.

Infection prevention rates = Nothing can have as much of a negative impact on a business and morale as recruiting the wrong person.  At RMG we invest the time to really understand your needs, we are only interested in the long term, and getting recruitment right time after time is how we have maintained numerous relationships since our inception.

Preventable readmissions = Getting the right person first time prevents the pain of re-recruiting sooner than you’d hoped. Since 2010 nearly 100% of people recruited by RMG are still in post or been promoted.

Reducing waiting lists = It is equally frustrating and financially damaging to have an unfruitful recruitment process as it is to have a vacancy drag on for long periods of time. At RMG we can deliver a shortlist for any role in a 5 week period, challenge us with your problem vacancy!

In an economy and market where talent is in short supply, should value or cost really be your number one priority?

Our client base is made up of businesses that have put a premium on attracting the best talent available, taking a serious look at how their recruitment strategy directly impacts on business profitability and success.  Click here to see case studies and testimonials.

So the next time you come to recruit, whether to replace a person or expand your business stop and think about the health economics of good recruitment practice, and pick up the phone, we’d be delighted to help.

Follow us on Twitter @RMGRecruit #RMGWinningMind

RMG held its first client event last month with guest speaker, sports psychologist, Lee Crombleholme, which was a great success.

Many of our clients have been pleasantly surprised to learn that RMG has been working with Lee for a number of years now. With over 14 years’ experience helping European Tour professionals, Olympians and national hockey and rugby teams attain confidence and consistency in their games, Lee has most notably worked with golfers such as the 4-times European Tour winner Branden Grace, who made a formidable start to the 2012 season after coming through the 2011 European Tour Qualifying School.

The use of sports psychologists by high achieving sports professionals is becoming more prevalent. Our multi decorated Olympians – Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Mo Farah and Bradley Wiggins, among others, have accredited their successes to their sports psychologists.

So can working with sports psychologists help businesses achieve their own successes?

Yes! Lee gave insights into the techniques and mental tools he uses to help individuals to reach their goals. He uses the techniques predominantly with his clients in the sporting arena, but they can be easily adapted to the business world.

By giving practical examples of how to increase self-confidence through goal setting, Lee talked our guests through how focussing attention on controllable factors such as energy, positive body language and confidence and continually analysing your performance in relation to these factors can increase confidence and overall performance. Setting simple short term goals, repeating them and then analysing your performance of them in order to make improvements, will enable the controllable factors to become subconscious behaviours which happen as a matter of course.

Through a mix of theoretical and practical examples Lee was able to get the audience to think differently about how they approach tasks. Understanding what motivates you is the first step to allowing the mental coaching and techniques to work. In time employing these techniques will enhance your overall performance. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to coaching, however, as each individual will havehas different personality traits and needs. Identifying how people deal with stress and pressure on an individual level, and how they process their thoughts helps to determine what coaching techniques need to be used to help them to achieve their goals.

Lee also referenced the book “The Chimp Paradox” by Dr Steve Peters which caused a lively discussion! The book focuses on the theory of how blood flows around the brain and determines your fight, flight or freeze mode (known as the Chimp brain) and how this makes you think and act in certain ways. The key to improved performance is to manage your illogical, unhelpful thoughts in your “Chimp brain”. There were many advocates of this technique amongst our guests and many others found it fascinating and I’m sure will be looking into this further!

RMG has seen the value of regular one-to-one sessions with Lee and how our consultants have developed confidence, a positive outlook and more efficient ways of working. We passionately believe in the importance of coaching and training to develop our employees. Using someone who trains using mental discipline and resilience is very untypical of the recruitment industry and sets us apart from our competitors.

If you would like any more information on this subject please contact us on 01928 711800 or contact Lee Crombleholme directly – lee@psychedfor.com  or call 07789 641417.

What is coaching?

Despite budgets being tightened, considerable sums of money these days are still invested in coaching as organisations develop their employees. The main reasons cited for using coaching is to generate improvements in performance and employee engagement.

The traditional view of coaching is of a ‘softly softly’ approach, a hand-holding exercise to offer support to business leaders. Typically the coach would ask questions in a nice way and do a lot of listening and empathising. It may have been seen as ‘namby pamby’ or ‘touchy feely’, but times have changed.

Why bother?

In today’s world coaching needs to offer so much more – to challenge and question and push for answers. It’s not a therapy session or a way to simply motivate employees; it’s about increasing performance and helping businesses to grow.

Coaching these days needs to pay its way. The benefits of coaching are far reaching but to justify the expenditure on anything in today’s environment you need to be able to measure its success. To do this you need to understand what your objectives are and what you want coaching to achieve. As an example, you want to drive efficiency and improve business development. This could be measured by assessing the increase in sales achieved following the commencement of the coaching programme.

Coaching can help to add clarity of thought to processes as well as increasing employees’ self-confidence. Providing real clarity to business problems can allow organisations to develop business strategies based on those the coach has used before and has seen to work.

However some of the benefits of coaching cannot be as easily measured, this doesn’t mean they are any less important. ‘Indirect’ benefits can lead to improved engagement levels, better performance, higher resilience and capability, lower burn out rates, improved psychological health, better communication and greater efficiency. Such improvements to employees’ behaviour and performance can actually help to reduce sickness and staff turnover in the long term, from which there can be real cost savings for businesses.

Is it worth the expense?

I believe it is if an organisation has clear objectives and develops a strong relationship with their coach. To achieve a successful coaching programme there needs to be a good rapport between the coach and the employees. The person being coached also needs to ‘buy in’ to the process and able to see what motivates them. By understanding what are the drivers of their behaviour they will become better at what they do. The sessions should encourage openness and establish trust, so that conversations are more constructive, and the outcomes will be stronger.

With a successful coaching plan in place businesses can benefit from seeing their employees’ build on their performance, engagement and ultimately increase the overall business success.

RMG is hosting an evening with Sports Psychologist Lee Crombleholme on Tuesday 6th November, where guests will hear insights into Lee’s work, about his current sporting clients and their successes and also how he translates his coaching and mental development techniques to the businesses he works with.

If you want to join us for a couple of hours, please contact Samantha.McManus@rmg-uk.com for more information and we will reserve your place. It is going to be a fantastic event but places are limited, so contact us now.

We will be tweeting throughout the event so follow us @RMGRecruit #RMGWinningMind

We will also add some post event information to our website, so be sure to look out for that too!

It’s good to see the programme by the Open University “Women at the Top” currently on the BBC, examining why there is a lack of women in senior level management and within UK boardrooms. Presented by the high profile business “dragon” Hilary Devey, the subject is given some much needed ‘celebrity’ coverage.

Lord Davies’ report in 2011 addressed this issue and recommended an increase in the number of women on the boards of FTSE 100 companies from 12.5% to 25% by 2015. The subject is also high on the agenda of other EU countries, with Norway and Iceland having both successfully introduced fixed quotas to increase the number of women on boards. Norway’s quota actually goes that step closer to equality at 40%.

The subject is evidently being taken more seriously in the UK by Boards and the Government, and the situation is improving. One year after the report was published; the percentage of women on UK boards has increased to 15%, but let’s not ignore the fact that there is still some way to go.

‘Women at the Top’ talked to a range of people about the lack of high profile business women in the UK, and amazingly some people seemingly hadn’t realised that there is an ‘issue’. For many men (and women maybe), this subject may never have directly affected them, and therefore the status quo is seen as ok. So is this part of the problem?

Perhaps the current reality of a gender ‘imbalance’ in the boardroom hasn’t been acknowledged in schools and highlighted to ambitious female graduates at the outset of their career, when the world is their oyster. Statistics consistently show that girls are higher achievers than boys at GCSE and A-Level, so what is it that prevents women achieving the highest levels once they leave academia and embark on their careers?

Of course, as the programme has recognised, childcare is still a fundamental issue that holds women back from career progression. Taking maternity leave and/or extended leave to raise their families often leads to them getting ‘left behind’ as others climb the career ladder ahead of them. When they do return to work they can be seen as inflexible due to their out-of -work commitments. Government should support more women back to work through tax breaks and childcare vouchers, or risk women being constantly torn between work and family.

In the programme Hilary challenged the reasons why women can’t get on, as I agree there isn’t a glass ceiling anymore. She has reached the top through hard work, business acumen, determination and drive, so why can’t any other woman? It’s about accepting we have to work harder and make sacrifices… Or is it? Why should women have to fight harder to get the same chances as men, surely they shouldn’t have to emulate a man’s style to get to the top? The programme seemed to concur as it highlighted the benefits of having a woman’s perspective in a group situation.

A balance of personality and gender is required to make a successful business. Research from the Cranfield School of Management and Harvard; suggest a significant link between boardroom diversity and improved company performance. So surely increasing the presence of women in the boardroom is incentive enough to grow UK businesses?

What difference can women bring to a business?

Businesses need their board to represent their employees or customer base. Without equality between men and women in business, how can UK businesses be competitive internationally? Diversity is also imperative to business success – how decisions are made, in what way, and why – if Britain is going to exploit opportunities domestically and abroad. Improving gender diversity at board level will help companies expand.  Lord Davies also supports the point of challenging the norm by stressing that business owners need to be focused on the talent within their companies and diversity of thinking. Well-balanced boards are about ideas and avoiding ‘groupthink’. How can the ‘norm’ be challenged and new ideas generated if everyone thinks the same way?

So what needs to change?

If women are being overlooked in business simply because of their gender it is astonishing and it is right that the issue is being addressed. The programme emphasised that the amount of time a career minded mother actually takes off through maternity leave is a tiny percentage of the length of her overall career nowadays. So it begs the question why they are then overlooked when it comes to promotions and achieving at the highest level. If we are to retain the talent in industry and maximise the value for money invested in long term education and training then as a society we need to change our mind-set and accept new ways of working.  Would we have skills shortages in the UK if we nurtured and encouraged our existing talent? Why waste money training our female graduates and then ignore their skills in the long term simply because we are still too blinkered to see the benefits of flexible working? Proctor and Gamble and BT are examples of major companies embracing equality in the workplace through flexible working and subsidised nurseries and this is excellent to see, even though in the short term this increased their costs.

Thankfully, over the last decade it has become more acceptable (through legislative support) for UK fathers to take paternity leave and become more involved in sharing child care and allowing their partners to also continue working. However there is a need to continually keep changing accepted attitudes to ‘role norms’.

Business women I have met through my work, in the main, wish to achieve through their own merit and worth, rather than because they are part of a quota. Many accept that a balance has to be found and enjoy finding unique ways of having that work-life balance. The costs and benefits of adopting more flexible working have to be weighed up for UK industry, especially for SME’s, but it is good to see wider society becoming more aware of the issue and that opportunities need to be created for women to be given a fair chance; to add value to businesses and have long term careers. It is an on-going debate with many challenging elements; I am just pleased to see it highlighted by this new programme, as it seems an obvious way to increase our pool of skilled management talent for the future. As headhunters we have a huge role to play to cast the net wider in the search for talented women. However, a lot more can be done below board level to develop a “pipeline” of female talent.

Over the next ten years, I look forward to seeing things evolve further in the UK with Government and industry focus and a greater percentage of women achieving Board positions through their natural talent alone.

Anita Caldwell is a Senior Search Consultant at RMG

Specialising in the Chemical and chemical-using industry (including the many aspects of renewable developments) and finding management and executive skill-talent for clients across the UK.  

As part of our advertising process the advert below was featured in the Sunday Times.

The advert below was created and featured in Marketing Week.

Ultrasound Application Specialist and Account Executive.

This advert was featured online with Emedcareers.

The campaign was to recruit for positions nationwide.

This advert was featured in NHD magazine.

There have been positive indications that job freezes now affect fewer companies, and in fact some, particularly in niche sectors, are actually seeing an increase in recruitment activity. Being able to strengthen your workforce in difficult economic times can provide a significant competitive advantage. The employment market is so competitive and great jobs don’t come up very often, so when they do employers can attract the best candidates, especially when using a headhunting service.

Despite the myth that head hunting is an “expensive” recruitment option, it’s popularity doesn’t wane when the country is in recession. The requirement to find the best talent remains the same, and the competition to acquire them actually intensifies, particularly when around 90% of top quality candidates are “off the market” and not actively looking for new roles.

The prospect of change is daunting, especially since the “credit crunch” has made people more risk averse and nervous about taking a step outside their comfort zone. The top talent may be happy to ride out these times of uncertainty within the familiarity and perceived security of their current organisation, preferring to wait until things pick up before they “jump ship”.

Contingent recruiting becomes an increasingly difficult proposition in a recession because the usual farming of a bank of CVs doesn’t generate the quality of candidates that organisations are looking for. The most talented tend to be “off the market” and are therefore inaccessible to contingent recruiters. So, only through search (head hunting) can you access the untapped pool of candidates who are not proactive job seekers but who are open to a sophisticated approach to finding a new role. Pair this with offering an attractive package and sense of security and you will acquire the top talent you require.

5 things to be aware of when recruiting in a recession

1. More people are out of work means you can expect to see a higher number of applications for each vacancy. The prospect of a big pool of candidates to choose from may sound appealing, but it can be an inefficient use of your time to process the applications in house. It’s only an advantage if you can actually manage the response levels.

2. Highlight your key attributes – if you’re trying to attract new employees during a recession it’s important that you show that you offer security and a new employee will not face redundancy when they finish their probation period. You can also nurture your existing talent through succession planning, making sure you retain your key employees for the long term.

3. Be competitive – are you offering a competitive package that would make the top talent be attracted away from a ‘secure’ position in their current organisation? Draw attention to your plans for growth and recent successes to show that you’re a safe bet. Be their employer of choice.

4. Be ahead of the game – employees stay loyal to organisations in a recession when the future is uncertain, but many will be looking for new opportunities as soon as there is confidence and signs of economic growth. If you can source talent that will make a positive impact to your business while the country is in a recession, you will be in a stronger position than your competitors when things start to pick up.

5. Choose a recruiter that adds real value to your business – make sure they take away your recruitment problem, offer you great solutions and find the talent that makes a positive and lasting impact to your business.

If you want to find the best people, you need to hire the best recruiters!

The article below explores the progress within pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

The Pulse of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

During the past decade, pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality functions were thrust into an unaccustomed spotlight. After an extended spate of consent decrees, noncompliance and drug quality problems, FDA began to look for root causes and to consider lessons in manufacturing science that regulators and manufacturers might learn from other industries.

At FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Office of Pharmaceutical Sciences held a series of meetings to analyze these issues. In quick succession the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) team was formed in 2002, the 21st Century cGMP’s were published, outlining a risk-based approach to regulation and compliance, and the PAT Guidance appeared in 2004. During this period, a challenge was issued to drug companies by then-Commissioner Mark McClellan, who was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying that the science of drug manufacturing was “behind that of potato chip and soap making.”

Today, drug companies still face quality and compliance problems ranging from supply shortages to consent decrees and warning letters. We asked a number of expert industry observers, including some who had led the call for change last decade, to share their thoughts on how pharmaceutical manufacturing has progressed, and whether anything had actually changed. This is a brief summary of some of what they had to say.

Examining the big picture, experts agree that the “sea change” predicted for drug manufacturing still hasn’t occurred. “McClellan’s quote still resonates today,” says Bikash Chatterjee, President and CTO of Pharmatech Associates, Inc. “Our processes have not demanded the level of sophistication required in other market segments where margins are much tighter, so it’s natural to expect them to evolve at a different rate.”

Although some companies have implemented processes that run at 6 Sigma, the industry overall still operates at the same Sigma level of 2.5 to 3 that it did last decade, says G.K. Raju, Executive Director of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Initiative at MIT, and President of Light Pharma, Inc. At FDA’s Science Advisory Board meetings last decade, Mr. Raju documented the high cost of traditional QC and its contributions to pharma’s unusually high cycle times.

“Progress seems to be slow when one looks at reports on shortages, recalls and other quality issues,” says Ajaz Hussain, CSO at Philip Morris International, and former Deputy Director of OPS and head of the PAT Team at FDA. FDA had launched PAT and the 21st Century initiatives, in part, to prevent just these types of problems from recurring. “Efforts towards developing guidelines have been laudable,” he says, “but additional emphasis is needed on certain fundamental aspects of quality such as effective QMS, training, root-cause investigations and setting of specifications based on an analysis of variance.”

However, there are bright spots. More people seem to realize that changing operations is not simply doing some Lean Sigma training, but changing mindsets, says Thomas Friedli, professor at the University of St. Gallen, whose research group has been closely tracking pharmaceutical operational excellence progress for a number of years. “The complexity that drug plants have to master has increased, so a plant that maintains operational performance over the years has in fact improved,” he says. Traditional pharma leads in Lean and Six Sigma efforts, but biopharma is now devoting more resources to operational excellence in manufacturing, and to consolidating isolated improvement activities, Friedli says. Currently, the University of California Berkeley and NSF have launched the Initiative for Research in Biopharmaceutical Operations to study this issue, while, funded by the Sloan Foundation, MIT and Georgetown are exploring related issues and the impact of globalization on regulation and innovation.

·         Increased Use of Modern Manufacturing Tools

·         Benefits of New Process Validation Guidance

·         Clueless on the Cost of Poor Quality?

·         Right First Time

·         Regulatory Uncertainty

Companies need to understand that manufacturing skills and understanding are an essential component of the mix in a boardroom. Until that happens, decisions will continue to be made which look sensible on the balance sheet, but are disastrous on the factory floor,” says Mahboubian-Jones. The future of drug manufacturing belongs, he says, to small, flexible, forward-looking companies which create a base by filling niches deemed “uncompetitive” by Big Pharma. “Once this base is established, they will progressively out-compete the current generation of companies. There are clear signs that this process has started, and it seems to be most vibrant away from the conventional manufacturing centers in the Western world,” he says.

Overall, there is reason for optimism, he says. “Today’s positive examples suggest that pharma is capable of transforming its manufacturing and the quality of its products. The future has great potential. The question is: Will that potential be realized by the current generation of companies, or will it be a new generation of more flexible, more responsive, less autocratic companies which take up the gauntlet and bring about the transformation which is required?”

Source: http://www.pharmamanufacturing.com/articles/2012/050.html?page=full

Please continue to read the full article below from the BBC.

Diabetes care ‘has been failing for decade’

Standards for diabetes care are still not being met in England – 11 years after they were set, a report suggests.

The Department of Health recommended in 2001 that patients should receive nine basic services, including cholesterol and blood pressure monitoring, eye screening and foot examinations.

But the National Audit Office analysis said despite improvements, just half of patients were getting the checks.

The government said the NAO had taken only a “snapshot” of care.

The watchdog also criticised ministers for not having a grip on costs.

It said the NHS was spending at least £3.9bn a year on diabetes – three times more than ministers had estimated.

‘Failed to deliver’

But the watchdog said better management of patients could save £170m a year through fewer hospital admissions and less complex treatment. About 24,000 unnecessary deaths could be prevented too.

More than 2.3m people are diagnosed as having diabetes.

Without effective care, patients can develop a range of complications, including blindness, amputation and kidney disease.

NAO head Amyas Morse said the Department of Health had “failed to deliver”.

And he said without action, the expected rise in diabetes – by 2020 numbers are forecast to jump by a quarter – would have a “major impact on NHS resources”.

The report also points out the NHS reorganisation has led to many diabetes specialists in the community leaving their posts.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said the findings were a “damning indictment of the current approach to the condition”.

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said plans were already in place to improve services.

But he added: “There is no excuse for delivering anything but the best diabetes care.”

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18165095

Through understanding the importance of good hand hygiene, NHS staff diligently enforced the new practice. Infection rates have fallen by around 40% and crucially the campaign is helping to save lives.

Read full article below – from the BBC.

Hand hygiene campaign ‘cut superbug infections’

The campaign to improve hand hygiene in hospitals in England and Wales contributed to a significant fall in the rates of superbug infections, according to a report.

The study published on the BMJ website showed the amount of soap and hand gel being used tripled during the campaign.

At the same time, levels of MRSA and C. difficile infections in hospitals fell.

The government has since dropped the campaign, but said its ambition was to “wipe out” such infections.

Hospital superbugs were once a real fear for many patients. In response the Clean Your Hands campaign, funded by the Department of Health, was introduced in all hospitals by June 2005.

Alcohol gels were put by bedsides, posters reminded staff to wash their hands and there were regular checks to ensure hands were kept clean.

By 2008, the total amount of soap and alcohol gel being purchased by hospitals trebled, going from 22ml per patient per day to 60ml per patient per day.

Rates of MRSA more than halved in the same time period and C. diff infections fell by more than 40%.

‘Success story’

One of the report’s authors, Dr Sheldon Stone from the Royal Free University College London Medical School, estimated that around 10,000 lives were saved because of the campaign.

He told the BBC: “It’s been a real British success story, we’ve gone from being the dirty man of Europe to being world leaders.

“What we need to do is keep up the momentum and stay at the forefront of world hand hygiene.”

A spokesman from the Department of Health said: “The Clean Your Hands campaign was successful in its aim to highlight the importance of good hand hygiene practice across the NHS. We know this has been successful.

“The challenge now is to ensure the NHS embeds the good practice highlighted in the campaign to achieve our ambition to wipe out avoidable healthcare-associated infection.

“We know real progress has been made in this area as MRSA bloodstream infections have dropped by 41% and C. difficile by 30% across the NHS in England since 2009/10.”

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17942182

The article below was taken from the Business Desk.

A Logistics expert has warned that the Humber workforce does not have the skills to make the most of the region’s potential as a hub for the renewable energy industry.

Professor David Grant believes businesses in the area could lose out to international competitors if they do not raise their game.

He said: “We all know that renewable energy is set to become a major economic driver for Yorkshire and the Humber. In addition to the much publicised wind farms and investment from Siemens, the region is gearing up to become an international centre for biomass storage, solar energy capture and tidal power from the estuary.

“But how many of our region’s businesses are ready to make the most of the massive opportunities as they arise?

“In all honesty, not as many as we would hope are poised ready to take a slice of the business, and could face the real situation of losing out to international firms who have the necessary experience.”

Professor Grant is director of the Logistics Institute at Hull University Business School which recently launched a new research project in this area.

“We have identified that the region has the capability to become a real challenger to those already established in the industry.

“However, our businesses need to invest in developing the necessary skills to be profitably involved in the renewable sector supply chain – from supplying machinery and parts for the offshore wind farm and biomass sectors to providing maintenance and service for all the renewable sectors,” he said.

Source:

www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/311537-renewables-firms-must-invest-in-skills.html

Holding on to your best people is a challenge facing many businesses. Many employees have literally been ‘sitting out’ the recession, however, at some stage or other your best people may just begin to take a look for their next opportunity, and guess what, your competitors are in a predatory mood.

One of the key steps to retention is having strategically defined corporate values where employees fully understand your company ethos and a mutual cultural fit exists, thus creating a platform to deliver success.

Belief and Engagement in Corporate Values

Culture and values must start at the top; however the critical point is in getting the whole organisation involved in the process of deciding them. This leads to substance, meaning and general belief. The next key stage is in embedding the values across the business. This is where the ‘personality’ and ‘behaviours’ that determine how employees, and therefore the company, will act in every engagement with all stakeholders. This process should not be under estimated and can take many years; however, the long term value is worth more than the time and effort. Embedding values is a continuous process and all new employees should be carefully assessed against corporate values and their subsequent induction should be the first step as the virtuous circle of embedding continues.

Sharing is Motivating

As values are understood, an organisation should develop a corporate community that embraces sharing, a culture where people feel they have real input to corporate engagement. These feelings are infectious and influence morale, and if employees are happy they are far less likely to consider the green grass on the other side of the fence.

Difficulties – Different Goals

With the global economic environment changing almost daily, it is understandable that even goals set quite recently can suddenly be unrealistic. This can have a real impact on retention and morale, so regular, realistic evaluation is critical as it is very easy for people to lose all momentum if targets aren’t in touch with reality.

Once again a key theme here is communication, sharing and openly discussing these challenges will go a long way to creating a team mentality that can steer a business through critical times. An open door where everyone knows their voice will be heard and where they can share their own, potentially valuable views, both positive and negative, will reaffirm the importance of the individual. However the leadership team must be committed to deliver on their promises, and need to lead from the front.

A key to keeping great people is to make sure they are aware that you value their skills and see a future for them within your organisation. Regular career development meetings are essential and it’s critical to continue to invest in the development of ‘softer’ skills which are easily put on hold if targets aren’t being reached. Making the employee feel valued and that they have a future will keep them focused on the challenges of your business, not the opportunity with your competitor.

Companies with clearly defined values and culture do well

Some companies are now globally renowned for their culture, reaping the rewards of high performance, enhanced employee engagement and retention, coupled with outstanding new employee attraction. The key point here is recognition that people are your most valuable asset and people join the business, not only because of your outstanding products or services, but yours is a company where people are treated well and your reputation for development generates exceptional workforce motivation.

The benefit of exceptional value and culture isn’t confined to global corporations; it can be applied to businesses of all sizes – if the senior leadership team has the vision and commitment to achieve it.

During 2009/10 RMG worked in partnership with the Barrett Values Centre to survey all employees and embark on a values journey. This led to a redefining of our stated values and grew awareness of our behaviours – what we uncovered was a different way of recognising a strong culture that pre-existed. Perhaps it is no surprise to find that our average employee retention is nearly three times the recruitment industry norm, a key factor that has enabled us to partner many clients since we were established in 1995.

Companies in this field can learn from what has happened in traditional industries such as Chemicals. Understanding how to promote and develop long term skills and talent, encouraging diversity and training, as well as focusing on retention of existing talent within the organisation by providing them with opportunities for career progression. Organisations also need to prove that they can sustain their own viability in the market long term.

At present there are severe skills shortages and companies across many industries are struggling to find and secure the best talent. Many expect to attract numerous applications for vacancies in the current climate but candidates often fall short of requirements; whether it is their experience, academics, or salary expectations. Understandably companies don’t want to get into a battle of spiralling salaries, but they do need to look more creatively at how they can attract the best candidates. This may mean offering an overall package which encompasses incentives such as flexible benefits, performance related bonuses and future personal development plans.

To step off the ‘merry-go-round’ and widen the talent pool in the short-term, businesses will need to be increasingly willing to invest in development of their staff and to consider people with ‘transferable core skills’ from wider industry sectors. High calibre candidates willing to make a move out of their comfort zone to use their transferable skills, will be personally motivated not only by the interesting sector but by the challenge factor; having something to prove to make it work – a growth and development training opportunity in its own right.

At RMG we are successful in our search and appointment of the best talent by using targeted search methods. We find candidates who make lasting impact to our clients’ businesses in the long term.

To learn more about this subject please read the article below which was taken from www.diagnosticimaging.com

Coronary CT Angiography in ED Safe for Chest Pain Assessments

By Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN | 27 March 2012

Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in the emergency department is safe and effective, and saves time when assessing patients at low- to intermediate-risk of a heart attack, according to a study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American College of Cardiology 61st Annual Scientific Session.

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania undertook the large, multicenter American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) trial to confirm that CCTA was safe to use in patients with suspected heart attacks, allowing ED physicians the confidence to triage low- to intermediate-risk patients according to the scan’s results.

“Prior research, including work by our research team at Penn, established that CCTA can rapidly identify the extent of coronary artery disease, if present, and suggested the safety of CCTA for clinical decision making,” said Harold I. Litt, MD, PhD, chief of cardiovascular imaging in the Department of Radiology at the university.

RELATED: Early CT Angiography Identifies Recurrent Stroke Risk

The study included 908 low- to intermediate-risk patients with chest pain, who were assigned to the CCTA rapid rule-out strategy group, and 462 who were treated traditionally. Patients from both groups whose testing showed heart muscle injury were admitted to the hospital and those with negative tests were discharged. Patients who had negative tests were called 30 days after enrollment for follow up. No deaths within 30 days of discharge were reported among the 640 patients who had negative CCTA results.

“The trial results have significant potential to establish a new standard of care for low- to intermediate-risk patients, dramatically reduce health care utilization and lower medical costs,” said Judd Hollander, MD, co-principal investigator and clinical research director in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “In addition to identifying the patients who could safely be discharged, the trial results showed evaluation with CCTA compared with current practice led to fewer patients having cardiac catheterizations that were found to be unnecessary and identified more patients that truly required hospital care.”

There will be more information available from this trial. “The trial’s secondary aims of comparing health care utilization of the two arms and their respective patient outcomes at one-year follow-up will also be important data to report, given the increasing scrutiny of health-care delivery costs,” said Pamela K. Woodard, MD, head of advanced imaging at Washington University School of Medicine and chair of ACRIN’s Cardiovascular Committee.

After spending some time at a hospital in the US looking at their successes in tackling infection rates, Diane Wake ensured that these measures were quickly adopted, and over a 3 year period the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University hospitals NHS Trust saw a reduction of 80% in their infection rates. Such measures can only work when there is a clear vision and all nursing and support staff give their support.

Read the full article below courtesy of Communications Department – Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

Liverpool hospital trust is the first International Centre of Excellence in battling infection

Earlier this year the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust was awarded the status of the world’s first International Centre of Excellence in infection prevention.

The award was made by Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP), a member of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, a leading developer of innovative instrument sterilisation, high-level disinfection, and area decontamination technologies.

It comes after the Trust saw a reduction of over 80% in Clostridium difficile infections alone in a three year period – saving in excess of £2.3 million.

Health leaders from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa will now be travelling to the Trust to learn from how we have significantly reduced the number of infections.

Three years ago the Trust decided to try out different measures to reduce infection rates, such as better communication between the infection teams and other clinical teams, greater provision of rapid diagnostic testing, and new isolation ward facilities.

A greater emphasis was also put on cleaning provision and standards across the hospitals and the Trust invested in a ground-breaking hydrogen peroxide mist technology. This works by spraying out a low concentration mist, which is dispersed to kill multiple pathogens rapidly.

The Trust’s chief operating officer and executive nurse Diane Wake said: “With a greater emphasis on cleaning and cleaning standards, and the use of innovative area decontamination solutions, we have made tackling healthcare associated infections our top priority, and our current performance clearly shows that our efforts are making a huge difference; we have gone from being one of the poorest to one of the best performing trusts in the country for infection control.”

The rise in popularity of social media for recruitment purposes has led some organisations to believe that the role of the traditional recruiter is now redundant. Why pay recruitment fees when I can bring my recruitment processes in-house you may ask? After all that’s what LinkedIn is for isn’t it?

No. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking sites like LinkedIn are one-stop recruitment shops – they facilitate some candidate hiring, arguably the “low hanging fruit” of the job market, however they will not allow you to fill every vacancy, particularly those in niche markets or requiring specialist skills. At RMG we do not take the easy route and pick the low hanging fruit, we add more creativity in the search for outstanding talent.

There is no doubt, that executed well, social media can have far reaching benefits to a company’s recruitment campaign, but it can’t replace the role of the recruiter because:

• it is no match for the skills of the traditional recruiter – to source, select and screen candidates

• it is merely another communication tool; recruiters add value to the process through their expertise in the field

• it provides access to passive candidates, but requires the time to focus 100% on engaging with candidates, getting to know them personally – who they are, what they are looking for and assessing their cultural fit and suitability for the organisation

• building talent pools requires the time to develop connections, conduct candidate profiling and maintain relationships with the network of contacts.

Social media has added another tool to the recruiter’s armoury but it is not a new phenomenon in the recruitment world. It has a part to play, and allows organisations to undertake some recruitment themselves in (what appears to be) a cost effective way. However, it is not going to be the solution to all recruitment problems. Organisations often fail to realise the complexities of social networks as well as the time, resource and expense required to make such mediums a success. Only a recruiter, able to focus 100% on recruitment, can develop the expertise to use social media to maximum effect.

Successful recruitment requires a well-rounded recruitment strategy encompassing a mixture of old and new hiring methods. Traditional methods of recruitment are here to stay; despite thoughts to the contrary. The CV will not be replaced entirely by online profiles because it is fundamentally linked to the recruitment process. It will still be used to screen candidates and will be the foundation for interview conversation. Social media will simply serve to add colour and personality to a candidate’s profile in a way that CVs typically can’t.

So, recruitment consultancies have an absolutely invaluable role to play in the search for outstanding talent that adds value to your business.

But should the use of counter offers be encouraged? In times of economic uncertainty your top performers remain loyal and can help drive the company’s growth when things start to pick up. Therefore paying more to keep them on board seems like money well spent, especially when the alternative is to invest valuable time and money finding a replacement. So is it a case of better the devil you know?

Not necessarily. Counter offers may not always be the best solution. If an employee wants to leave then do they really have a future with your organisation? Ask yourself; if they are unhappy then will they leave at some point regardless of the offer of additional remuneration in the short term? Consider also how the practice of counter offering impacts salary structure and how this affects existing employees. Will it create a culture of people threatening to leave in order to receive better remuneration? How do you control this?

Money makes the world go round, but it’s not the only reason why people work for a company. There are other potential underlying factors behind an employee’s decision to leave;

• Company growth – when an organisation expands, the growth brings a level of inflexibility. Implementation of formal processes and additional layers of authority can be seen as barriers to an employee’s creativity and power to influence. Reducing their impact devalues their worth and they may seek new opportunities.
• Conversely, a maturing business also has its limitations. Stagnant growth means fewer opportunities for the top performers in your business. So is the next step in their career to be found outside of your organisation? How do you tackle this?
• Change in role – as companies grow, so too does the need to change people’s roles. Try to keep roles as varied as possible. Recognise the flexibility and dexterity shown by employees in a start up company where it’s ‘all hands on deck’. Attempting to pigeon-hole people into specific roles is likely to unsettle your key workers, leaving them bored and frustrated.
• Hygiene factors – do you offer flexible working? People increasingly value their work/life balance, so if you’re not promoting this within your organisation, chances are your competition will be.
• Cultural fit – arguably as important as talent as far as a great hiring decision is concerned. Employ people who are not only a good fit within the organisation but more importantly within the area they will be working in. Talented people like working with talented people and unfortunately a bad hire can be detrimental to a successful team.

There is no doubt that recruitment can be facilitated cheaply, but one size does not fit all.  High unemployment creates candidate choice and cost savings in some areas of the economy, however, there are also severe skills shortages that are hampering the development of many companies.  So when faced with skills shortages it is only right that the focus should change from cost to value. In many cases the value added by great recruitment and the acquisition of genuinely talented expertise can add millions to a company’s value. By comparison, the accompanying recruitment fee represents little more than petty cash.

Of course recruitment companies come in all shapes and sizes, from the all encompassing retained search business that delivers a bespoke solution and focuses on long term value, through to contingent agencies who inundate you with unqualified CVs, the “low hanging fruit’ of the job market.  However, beware, as what initially appears to be a cheap proposition is frequently littered with hidden recruitment costs. Managers rarely value their time at anything like the commercial rates they cost their companies, and when they undertake activity in haste, they simply hire only the best that was available at the time.  This scenario rarely secures great talent that adds long term value, but more often, results in the need to find a replacement in an unseemly short amount of time; adding to the ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ phenomenon.

Alternatively recruitment can be managed ‘in-house’, however this too is fraught with the same hidden costs associated with the amount of time invested. Furthermore, it is rare to have genuine breadth and depth of recruitment expertise that can cover all aspects of the process; from attracting candidates through to offer negotiation. It is also unlikely you’ll find ‘in-house’ specialists who can access the whole of the market, particularly when it comes to identifying talented people who aren’t even thinking about a new job, in the way that headhunters do.

As in other aspects of life, in recruitment you get what you pay for. So how much is too much to pay to secure the talents of the sales professional who generates hundreds of thousands in revenue to the detriment of your competition, or the executive who positively shapes your business, whether as a Sales or Marketing Manager, Divisional Director or CEO, when they add £m’s to the bottom line? Take a look at how RMG’s successful appointment of a new CEO at Sagentia Plc added £25m to the corporate value within just eighteen months here

In your experience can you honestly say that your recruitment providers add value to your business by finding great talent? Do they save you valuable time and the accompanying, often underestimated costs? Do they demonstrate a good understanding of your sector and willingness to spend the time to really get to know your business?  If not, then they will be absorbing your costs and although they may initially appear to be cheaper, I assure you that when it comes to recruitment, cheapest is rarely least expensive.

Get it right first time; choose your recruitment partner carefully, build a strong relationship with them, and be demanding of them, but always keep focused on value.  This often means investing in cost upfront; but you’ll be thankful you did as the resulting benefits and value will pay you back handsomely.

At RMG, two of our biggest clients have retained our services since we were established in 1995, they do that because we have repeatedly helped them to recruit great talent that has been promoted, adding real value in the process, our portfolio of testimonials and case studies prove it.

Values, culture and clarity

To be an employer of choice, you have to be absolutely clear about your values and culture, however, you’ve also got to know exactly what you want, have a clearly defined and well understood job brief and candidate profile, together with a clear competency framework against which to assess potential employees.  You’ll also explicitly understand the breadth of benefits both tangible and intangible of working for your organisation and must enthusiastically espouse them.
Another critical consideration is how you approach potential employees (not applicants) and the messages you send them, from the very first stage.

Targeted approach

A ‘scatter gun’ approach will rarely work in specialist sectors for a number of reasons.  First, it is well nigh impossible for multiple recruitment providers who are essentially in competition for a fee, to send out a constant message about your employment proposition.  Secondly, you will find it difficult to build appropriately close candidate relationships to gain the most out of your campaign, and finally, if you have a number of companies approaching the same talent pool – as will often happen for senior or specialist positions, your business will simply come across as being desperate rather than desirable.

Candidate engagement

Always remember that candidates talk, and that everyone who engages with a company should receive a positive impression – if you fail to treat a candidate well, it can only damage your brand.  When candidates come in for interview, the interviewers should be fully briefed, and know how to position your company.  Wherever possible, select people who are able to express their enthusiasm for your business and transfer that to the candidates from the moment they walk into reception until they leave.

Managing feedback

Even those candidates that are unsuccessful should be kept on side, because first and foremost, they will undoubtedly communicate a bad experience.  However, we have frequently seen situations where a candidate who is currently short on skills comes back in a few years having vastly improved on areas where they were previously poorly qualified.  What is more, you can never be sure who you will meet further down the line, so evenwhen you reject someone, make sure they walk away saying great things about your organisation.
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At RMG we’re totally committed to helping our clients become employers of choice, we believe that’s a key reason many have chosen us to partner them since we were founded in 1995.  During that time we’ve repeatedly helped recruit talented people who’ve added real value by doing great work and getting repeatedly promoted.

Of course, this gives clients the reassurance of an established “black book” and years of experience hiring at board level. But this comes at the detriment of an in-depth sector knowledge that can often be found only with a specialist – you might end up with a great director, but you won’t necessarily get the best director for your business.

We need to work to challenge the perception that only a few big names can handle strategic recruitment and help clients to recognise that understanding market dynamics are key at every level. And, as Clarke has already demonstrated, they will get the benefit of a more flexible, more responsive and more cost-effective service – something that only a smaller, faster moving consultancy can offer.

Women may have traditionally been put off by the perception of engineering involving heavy, dirty work in factory environments that are still male dominated – unfortunately, the image perpetuates itself and heavy industry remains unattractive to half our working population.

Attitudes are changing, and the issue of talent is being tackled. There are many initiatives underway to attract graduates and apprentices generally into disciplines like engineering, science and technology, and my recent interest has been around how to attract women, retain them and help them take their specific vocational education and training through to senior and executive level.

It would, of course, be wrong to say that women are entirely unrepresented now in engineering or at executive level. Indeed, in areas such as finance, HR, R&D, supply chain and business development, there are higher proportions of very well qualified, highly skilled female applicants.

On the operations and engineering side it is a different story. For a recent senior engineering management role, we had no female response in more than 60 applicants. This is a real shame – a female presence can bring a different and valuable dimension to developing and leading teams. And, of course, a successful business depends on getting the best people for the job, regardless of gender. In discussions, it is also clear that most women are not in support of any favoured help though government quota-led assistance to gain senior level positions but seek to prove themselves on merit – through their own value, ambition and contribution.

The under-representation of women also isn’t due to any ‘glass ceiling’ or male conspiracy – rather, it is to do with life choices, whether these are genuinely desired or simply what is expected. Traditionally, we are used to seeing women working on production lines, namely in environments requiring speed, dexterity and light assembly. For the future we must keep ‘selling’ the exciting opportunities and possibilities of careers within such as engineering to women, giving them the confidence and interest to see how eminent women have achieved.

Fortunately, industry has started to change its image. Advances in health and safety and quality of working life are beginning to make a difference. And, interestingly, the example of the chemical sector is one of the best suited to support flexible working, and many of our clients offer family-friendly benefits to suit women who might otherwise have faced a tough decision between work and home.

The gradual increase in the numbers of women coming into the engineering, operations and technology is likely to start a virtuous circle. By establishing an environment and culture that nurtures and values female talent, we will develop inspirational professionals with the ability to pass on their passion to young women and continue on the path towards equality. All this will play a part in a major shift to attract talent from graduates and apprentices upwards.

By demonstrating how relevant and diverse applied subjects can be, and by emphasising the ways in which it impacts across all of the UK’s manufacturing and industrial sectors, schools have an opportunity to encourage more girls to embrace the subject from an earlier age. UK industry is crying out for talented apprentices, and a concerted effort should bring a rich stream of determined young women and men with the skills and ambition to make an impact for the future.

Leaders must maintain their roles as visionaries and strategists, constantly ‘doing the right things’ for their organisations. One of the most common issues I hear about, is of leaders getting too hands on and doing managerial jobs, this disempowers a whole strata of people whose role is to ‘do things right’ and creates a waste of talent and effort in tactical roles at the grass roots, where we should be encouraging innovation and learning.

The value added by great leaders is best exemplified by publicly quoted companies, where share price and market capitalisation are effective barometers of a leaders impact.

The announcements in November 2009 that Marc Bolland would take over as Chief Executive at Marks and Spencer, and that Archie Norman would take the Chair at ITV, saw £800m added to the market capitalisation of the two organisations. When Steve Jobs took medical leave from Apple, the share price dropped by 7%, costing the company $12 billion! Slightly closer to home and on a more personal level the appointment of Brent Hudson to Sagentia plc, by RMG, barely 2 years ago, has seen their market capitalisation increase from £3.5m to £28m.

Recruiting talented leaders that add value has never been so important.

The industry has failed to attract and train up graduates and apprentices, instead retaining staff with the lure of a generous pension scheme and a job ‘for life’. More recently, efficiency drives and cost cutting have compounded the issue, with businesses relying on their in-house expertise and neglecting the need to replace and sustain their skill base. As a result, the UK has had to scour the overseas market to get the skills they need, unable to rely on in house talent to fill the gap.

Fortunately, attitudes are changing with an industry-wide recognition of the necessity of attracting graduates and apprentices into the industry. We are starting to see the results of many excellent, concerted, sector-wide efforts to attract students to sciences, maths, engineering and technology courses – and we can be optimistic that this will help to build long-term sustainability in the market.

Inspiring passion for a subject at an early age is vital to nurturing talent. And at any level of expertise, an enthusiasm for self development is a crucial trait when we are recruiting. Candidates must have the potential to develop in some respect and to offer to a business and share their existing expertise, whether that means long-term succession potential to internal executive management or simply the willingness and ability to pick new processes quickly.

Most importantly for individual businesses, good succession planning is good for profits. When we appoint new board level directors, we often see operational profits, intrinsic public confidence and company value rise substantially – talent matters to stakeholders and investors. Having the plans in place to maintain quality and strength in leadership is essential for the sustainability, growth and future of a business.

The current upheavals in the landscape of the NHS will affect any company that comes into contact with it. From management consultancies to IT providers, private sector organisations of every shape and size will need to deal with the consequences of the need for efficiency savings and the seismic shift in the way the NHS is run.

Doctoring the NHS At this stage, it is fair to say that even the NHS itself cannot confirm the shape of its management and commissioning structure going forward. The much- discussed GP consortia will certainly have a great deal of influence at many levels – including the purchase of medical devices – and there is little current information on what these will look like.

A great deal of attention will be paid to the ‘pathfinders’: 52 groups of GPs across the country who will work together to manage their local budgets and commission services for patients directly with other NHS and local authorities in advance of the full switchover in 2013.

What is certain is that the medical technology sector will need to update its tactics and its skill set to ensure survival in the new regime. Whatever the exact new structure, it is unlikely that sales people will be dealing as frequently with nurses as before. Indeed, with the scrapping of PCTs and their purchasing powers, it is uncertain whether nurses will have any decision-making responsibilities at all.

It is possible that we will return to the situation that prevailed several years ago, where the GP is the main decision-maker. For the pharmaceutical sector, this will make very little difference: selling to GPs has always been their domain. But for medical technology companies, the changes could mean the need for an entirely new strategy.

Ditch your database

Selling to GPs is far from easy. For big pharma companies, it has always been a numbers game: having up to 10 reps on a territory increases the likelihood that you will be able to reach the right customer whose needs you can meet. Medical technology companies, however, are nowhere near the same size and do not have the same resources. There are fewer GPs than there are nurses and other clinical professionals, and GPs tend to be extremely busy – a situation that can only worsen as their responsibilities increase. If your one representative is unable to get access to the decision-maker, you will be blocked out.

Of course, every supplier to the NHS will need to deal with a changing customer base as its business practices change. Medical technology staff and employers need to have their fingers on the pulse to survive and thrive in the new world of healthcare. If they fail to keep up to date, they will very quickly find their relationships – and their businesses – have been eroded.

To keep pace with the revolution in the NHS, companies need to examine their existing skill sets and resources to ensure they are best prepared for the next steps. This may mean going back to basics – salespeople will have to forget their current customer base and the details on their CRM system, and gather new information to re-populate it with new decision-makers and clinical leaders.

Aside from the need to rebuild contact bases, it may be that existing employees would benefit from retraining, or that the sales force needs to be strengthened with new blood. It may even be worth looking at recruiting from the pharmaceutical sector to access sales professionals who have already built a base of important contacts within the GP community. This is something that medtech companies have traditionally shied away from – but the skills of pharma representatives are likely to become more and more relevant to medtech in the new NHS environment.

Partnership opportunities

The businesses that are able to engage successfully with GPs will have the opportunity to make themselves invaluable to the new consortia as they take on new responsibilities. The GP consortia will replace PCTs in their obligation to cater for the entire healthcare needs of their designated population in the new NHS landscape. The problem is, however, that few GPs have the skills or the capacity to understand these needs.

PCTs have always been much larger bodies than GP practices, with a far broader knowledge base. Of course, there is no denying that GPs have an excellent grasp of the clinical aspect of care – after all, that is their bread and butter. However, when it comes to areas such as finance and care management, their knowledge of diagnosis and treatment will not be enough.

Clinicians will now have to balance the need to provide the best possible care and equipment for their patients with the need to meet strict budgets set by the Department of Health, and many will not be equipped with the skills to manage the situation effectively. At the end of December, the Government published the NHS Outcomes Framework, which set out the five criteria by which GPs’ performance will be measured: preventing premature deaths, enhancing the quality of life for those with long-term conditions, aiding recovery from illness or injury, ensuring people have a positive experience of care, and creating a safe environment for healthcare.

Much of that is well outside GPs’ current remit – but the gap in skills and knowledge is one that medical technology companies will be well placed to fill with tailored and appropriate solutions. An overstretched GP population will be keen to access products and services that can help them meet their new responsibilities to the level that is expected – clearly an area where medical technologies of many kinds will be essential.

This will involve positioning your offering in a slightly different way: one that is based not only on clinical features and benefits, but also on efficiency and cost saving. By adapting quickly to changing customer needs, offering products and solutions that will fit into the new healthcare environment and making sure that the sales force are able to define the clinical and commercial benefits clearly and concisely, smart businesses will be able to make themselves invaluable to GPs as they face unprecedented challenges.

Don’t panic

Whatever GPs’ responsibilities look like in the future, the changes we are seeing should not be seen as a cause for panic. Those businesses that move quickest and are most responsive to the changes have a real opportunity to grow their market share and establish relationships that will make a tangible difference in the coming months and years. Planning ahead and keeping on top of the changing structures and responsibilities will reap dividends – not only for medical technology businesses, but for the health system as a whole.

Working with GPs: 5 key things to remember

1.  Read the situation – Appreciate that the forthcoming NHS changes will be concerning for GPs too. They will find their time in even shorter supply, and may be intimidated by their new responsibilities. Showing empathy and having a legitimate purpose for a call will be essential to fostering genuine relationships.

2.  Performance criteria – Under the new system, a GP’s performance will be measured on five areas. Help GPs by offering products and services that will help them to meet the new responsibilities outlined in the criteria.

3.  Solution-based selling – With time pressure being an important consideration, GPs will be looking for ‘bigger picture’ solutions. Providing GPs with holistic packages rather than product-based sales pitches will be of infinitely more valuable to them.

4.  Make life easier – Much of what is covered under the new performance criteria is outside GPs’ current remit and expertise. Go the extra mile in helping to ensure that GPs understand your offering and let them draw on your expertise. Those who develop mutually beneficial partnerships rather than supplier-client relationships will be considerably more successful.

5.  Stay connected – Although there will be a paradigm shift in the decision-making power, previous contacts should not be forgotten. While they may no longer be key decision-makers, they may still wield a level of influence.

This advert for the high profile Chief Executive role was featured within the Sunday Times.

Of course, that’s good news for the chemical industry (and, indeed, for executive search consultancies like RMG!). But all too often, in the rush to service immediate needs, long-term sustainability is neglected.

I’m very much of the belief that recruitment needs to take into account the bigger picture, the growth strategy and the natural development of the role. The chemical industry in particular needs to keep innovating and diversifying to sustain itself – to move quickly and tailor services to changing environments.

It isn’t enough for a candidate to be right for the business now – they need to be right for the business in three years, in five years or even in 10 years. This is important at every level, and absolutely vital in senior roles, where the position and the person are likely to be pivotal part of a company in the future.

Before you even begin the search, you need to think about where your business is going, where this role fits into the strategy, and what sort of person will be able to get you there. Who is Mr(s) Right? As a fundamental part of the business process, you need to consider the business plan and your growth expectations, then employ somebody who can deliver both, growing their role and developing as a leader.

Businesses need to think about recruitment sustainability and most importantly think ahead.