Major crackdown on drug firms corruption in the NHS, transparency is needed

Last month, an undercover investigation by The Telegraph disclosed that senior health staff who help choose drugs for the NHS were paid to work as consultants to pharmaceutical firms keen for the health service to opt for their products. Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, said that hospitals and GP groups will be required to keep a register of hospitality and gifts from pharmaceutical firms to health service staff.

“Senior medical staff will be forced to declare all gifts and hospitality they receive from drug companies or face the sack and the threat of jail.
In a major crackdown on corruption in the NHS, all hospitals and GP groups will be required to keep a register of hospitality and gifts from pharmaceutical firms to health service staff.

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, says he was forced to act after the Telegraph uncovered “disturbing” evidence of senior NHS managers being paid thousands of pounds and taken on expensive trips by firms lobbying to get their drugs used.

The transparency, or “Sunshine rule”, will be mandatory from next year and any member of staff who fails to declare full details of perks they receive will face disciplinary action.”

Read Jeremy Hunt: NHS bosses face jail over links to drug firms and Lavish trips laid on by drugs firms to ‘sway’ NHS staff, via an undercover investigation by The Telegraph,
22 Aug and 22 Jul 2015.