A Common Understanding 2012 - Working Together For Patients

Chairman’s Foreword

The original Common Understanding document was the first
of its kind to be produced in the United Kingdom. A Common Understanding (2003) aimed to define a productive relationship between NHSScotland and the pharmaceutical industry, by setting out the principles by which appropriate joint-working could be achieved.

A great deal has changed within NHSScotland since 2003 in terms of the modernisation of healthcare delivery systems, a renewed clinical approach, much greater involvement of patients and public, increased multi-disciplinary working and a clearer understanding of the real benefits of a focus on quality and outcomes.

The pharmaceutical industry has the capacity to play a significant role in this renewed focus on quality and outcomes by assisting with the development and appropriate use of therapies, the provision of educational materials and the refinement of business systems that support clinical activity. Some examples
of the many successful joint-working projects involving NHSScotland and the industry are included elsewhere in this document.

A Common Understanding 2012 – by better defining an agreed framework for cooperation between NHSScotland and the pharmaceutical industry – aims to assist NHS staff to achieve the best joint-working outcomes. The document also encourages all parties to be confident that the application of these guidelines will ensure that collaboration forms part of a robust, transparent and outcome-focused approach that will undoubtedly create substantial benefits for NHS patients.

In developing A Common Understanding 2012, we have involved as wide a range of stakeholders as possible, in an effort to establish a genuinely inclusive approach. We have suggested principles to be applied when considering joint-working so that agreements will be robust and outcomes measurable. Finally, we have tried to ensure that a wide range of possible situations and scenarios have been considered – so as to provide as much guidance as possible for NHSScotland staff.

It is our sincere hope that all parties will be prepared to utilise the national approach of the A Common Understanding 2012, rather than to rely solely
upon a plethora of local rules and guidelines.

There will always be room for local decision-making, but it is our considered view that the broad-based framework encapsulated in this document provides the best chance of successful and sustainable joint-working on behalf of patients and public in Scotland.

Ian Mullen OBE, BSc, DL