Press Release

PHARMA COMPANIES IDEALLY PLACED TO PROVIDE DOCTORS WITH KEY MANAGEMENT SKILLS TRAINING

90% of doctors highlight lack of management training in the NHS

February 12th 2007, London – New research launched today shows 96% of general practitioners (GPs) and 84% of hospital consultants believe there is a lack of management skills training provided in primary and secondary care.  Furthermore, while 78% of doctors spend over a quarter of their time on non-clinical work related to management, 47% state they do not have sufficient management skills training to effectively carry out this aspect of their role.

Independent research carried out for The Excel Academy by TNS Healthcare highlights gaps in the provision of key management skills, including business planning (64%), negotiation (56%), chairmanship and facilitation (52%), and people management skills (52%).

It has long been recognised in the spirit of working in partnership, that the pharmaceutical industry is well placed to help fill this gap, and indeed 94% of those surveyed confirmed they would attend management skills training courses if sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.  To help fulfil this need, The Excel Academy has been launched to provide bespoke training and development packages that pharmaceutical companies can offer to healthcare professionals.

“The launch of The Excel Academy recognises the important and increasing need of management skills for doctors in the ever-changing and challenging environment of the NHS,” said Rob Hayes, Managing Director of Excel Communications.  “The Excel Academy is a new initiative designed to help fulfil an unmet training need for doctors and provide them with the essential management skills increasingly required to carry out their everyday roles.”

Excel Communications has been running premier training and development initiatives across a range of industry sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry, for over 22 years.  It has been within this context that Excel Communications has increasingly been requested by its pharmaceutical clients to support doctors in enhancing key skills, such as professional presentation skills, chairmanship skills, leading teams and negotiation.  The launch of The Excel Academy aims to continue to meet this increasing training need.

Notes to Editors

About The Excel Academy

The Excel Academy provides a wide range of professional development workshops that can be run as integrated learning and development, or stand alone events.

For more information about The Excel Academy, please contact Andrew Waiton, Head of Sales and Marketing.

Contacts

Andrew Waiton
The Excel Academy
+44 (0)1628 488854
andrew.waiton@excelcom.co.uk

Catherine Gürtin, Angela Natingor
Virgo HEALTH PR
+44 (0)20 8939 2450
catherine.gurtin@virgohealthpr.com
angela.natingor@virgohealthpr.com