Review into Rheumatology Department (FOI)

​​​Request

The Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) review of the Rheumatology Department raised concerns about Health and Community' Service's (HCS) relationship with the pharmaceutical industry in providing training and potential conflict of interests arising from these arrangements. The RCP recommended that HCS should “discourage the sole reliance on pharmaceutical companies for drug information and training as it is likely to be heavily biased”.

A

Which pharmaceutical companies have provided drug information or training to any HCS staff in the last ten years?

B

Which of these pharmaceutical companies provided drug information or training specifically to rheumatology staff in the last ten years?

​Response

A

There is no central record of the information requested. A Scheduled Public Authority is not required to create new datasets nor manipulate existing datasets in order to respond to Freedom of Information requests. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

Procurement of medicines for Health and Community Services (HCS) is exclusively via HCS’ Pharmacy. Drug information is provided for the majority of medicines. Pharmaceutical companies must act in accordance with the ABPI (Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry) Code of Practice. 

HCS employees must comply with the States of Jersey Codes of Practice and Public Finances Manual in reporting potential conflicts of interest and declaring gifts or hospitality:

States of Jersey Codes of Practice (gov.je)

Public Finances Manual (gov.je)​

B

Rheumatology nursing staff have received drug information or training from the following companies:

• AbbVie
• Alcura
• Apodi
• Biogen
  
• GLPG
• Healthcare at Home
• Johnson & Johnson
• Lilly
• Novartis
• Pfizer
  
• Roche
• Sandoz
• Sanofi
• UCB

Article applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.​​