Editorial Monday 18 June 2012: We can remember it for you wholesale

This afternoon the British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers enjoyed the benefit of me chuntering on at them about health policy for a bit. They were a good, diligent crowd, and didn't walk out, which - given it was the last slot of the day - was nice (and probably all about my fellow speaker Ash Soni of the NHS Future Forum.

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It was fun. I asked delegates how many had read all of the Health And Social Care Bill, and got the predicted response. No hands were raised.

I then asked how many felt they knew what was in the Bill, at least enough to do their jobs.

No hands were raised.

I then asked them how many thought NHS providers were savvy customers of their products.

No hands were raised.

I then asked them how many thought NHS commissioners were savvy customers.

No hands were raised.

I then asked how many thought GPs would be savvy customers.

No hands were raised.

Now, this is the wholesale pharma trade. Their prices have been set by PPRS and the other conventional mechanisms.

More to the point, there were people in the room who have been in this trade for some time, and seen NHS reorganisations come and go.

And when I was explaining the scale of The Nicholson Challenge (copyright Stephen Dorrell), and the fact that according to the Kings Fund research, people are starting to struggle after the first year, it seemed to be coming as news.

It will be fascinating to see whether what appears to be the views of this important area of the pharma industry - under-aware of the scale of the changes, and sceptical of both commissioners' and providers' abilities to be savvy customers - is more broadly held among suppliers to the NHS.