The joint working toolkit – theory into practice

by | Oct 23, 2019 | Articles, News | 0 comments

The ABPI have updated their Joint Working Toolkit. It simplifies and clarifies the process, and I hope it will encourage more companies to do more joint working.

One of the main barriers is the prospect of navigating a cumbersome internal process to get a project off the ground, only to have the results fall short. Even in companies with lots of joint working experience, projects can stall, or fail to deliver the triple win for patients, the NHS and the company.

I’d love to see that improve. I’m firmly in agreement with Prof David Nutt of Imperial College London, who says that joint working with industry is so vital to sustaining our NHS that it should be included in junior doctors’ training!

Primary care networks with their focus on integrated care provide opportunities for firms to deliver value across the whole pathway. The NHS is going through its biggest change since the 1990s – and offering pharma a golden opportunity to shift from supplier to partner.

Collaboration and co-creation

Collaboration and co-creation are essential for developing and implementing the initiatives that will deliver these benefits. The toolkit is an indispensable framework for setting up projects compliantly. But it’s not the whole story. Strategy, Value and Access Director at MSD, Simon Nicholson’s view is that the toolkit is just the starting point: companies should adapt it to make it work for their organisation. They should work with stakeholders to identify pain points along the patient pathway. This will show the common issues affecting companies, clinicians and patients.

An independent facilitator can make this process really effective. They support everyone to participate fully, as a combined team of industry, clinical and other key stakeholders.

The other jigsaw piece is building capability and competency. How can we get better at partnership working so as to achieve more consistent results and shorter timeframes?

Improve your collaboration skills

Drawing on over ten years’ experience of effective collaboration, Dovetail’s Joint Working Masterclass examines the building blocks of partnership working. Complementing the Joint Working Toolkit, it enables teams to put theory into practice, lay firm project foundations and understand what to do when things don’t go to plan.

We’d love to help you refine your collaboration skills, so that you and your teams can make an even greater contribution to the NHS and patient outcomes. Contact us to find out how we can help, or to book a taster session.