Nurses getting bonuses for recommending latest drugs

Nurses working in UK GP’s surgeries are being paid to help sales teams recommend expensive drugs, an investigation by the Sunday Times has found.

The nurse advisors, who are not employed by the NHS but are paid for by firms such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Wyeth and Pfizer, cannot directly promote their company’s products.

Instead, up to 15 per cent of the nurses’ pay is assessed by how many records and patients are seen. Information is provided to sales teams, who remain in close touch with the staff.

One undercover reporter was told at Royce that the nurses identify individuals suffering from specific problems. It “opens the doors to a medical representative”, a consultant said. “They come in and close the business.”

Innovex, an agency which employs around 200 nurse advisors, also told a reporter that its employees could receive up to ?3,500 in performance bonuses.

Workers could expect greater bonuses according to the number of surgeries visited by staff.

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Nursing said that the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s code of conduct forbids nurses from promoting the use of particular medicines.

© Adfero Ltd