Field team management in the pharmaceutical and medtech sectors has always required a high degree of agility. However, the current landscape, shaped by the NHS 10-year plan and the medium term planning framework, presents a level of complexity that traditional sales strategies could find difficult to address. Managers today are not simply overseeing sales representatives; they are leading strategic consultants who must align with a healthcare system focused on the 'triple shift': from hospital to community, sickness to prevention and analogue to digital.
Experienced managers recognise that the tactics which secured market access five years ago won’t work today. The challenge now lies in evolving the team's approach while maintaining performance during a period of transition. This evolution won’t happen overnight, but it does require a deliberate shift in focus.
The scale of NHS reform can feel overwhelming for teams out in the field. As a manager, you know that your team cannot overhaul their territory strategy in a single quarter, especially while the landscape remains fluid. The sheer scale of the changes and the uncertainty surrounding key ICB roles ahead of the April transition, makes definitive planning difficult, as the individuals responsible for future decision-making may not yet be in post. And with significant redundancies occurring across the NHS, field teams face an environment where their primary contacts are also dealing with a level of insecurity. Navigating this requires a degree of empathy. Pushing for commercial decisions during such a period may appear insensitive and could damage long-term trust. A phased approach allows for the adoption of new habits while respecting the current pressures on NHS leadership.
Successful leaders are sensitive to the human cost of restructure while prioritising the most relevant elements of the 10-year plan first. This often involves identifying which local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are moving fastest toward community-based care and focusing initial efforts there. By acknowledging that change is incremental, you can reduce team burnout and ensure that new methodologies, such as digital engagement and ICB stakeholder remapping, are embedded properly rather than rushed.
The move toward Key Account Management (KAM) is one of the most significant shifts in field team operations. The modern HCP is under time pressure and no longer has the capacity or inclination to meet multiple representatives to discuss individual products.
The KAM model addresses this by enabling the field team member as a solution provider rather than a product specialist. A KAM acts as a primary point of contact who understands the wider patient pathway and the specific pressures facing an ICB, hospital or Primary Care Network (PCN). By offering a range of solutions that address multiple clinical or operational issues in one conversation, the KAM saves the HCP time.
This approach also allows for the introduction of practical solutions within the care pathway, ensuring more patients are treated or that existing services operate with greater efficiency. This alignment creates a partnership where the NHS meets its productivity targets and the field team delivers genuine value, resulting in a clear advantage for both the provider and the patient.
The KAM model changes the nature of the relationship. It moves the conversation away from features and benefits and toward how a partnership can help the HCP meet their own targets, such as reducing elective recovery backlogs or meeting Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators. For the manager, the focus shifts to coaching the team on how to identify these systemic 'pain points' and how to present or enable the use of medicines or technologies as components of a larger solution.
While CRM systems have been standard for years, the use of intelligent technology is now becoming a differentiator in field team performance. These tools are no longer just for recording activity; they are becoming essential for territory planning and real-time coaching.
Intelligent platforms can now help teams navigate the 'digital front door' of the NHS. By analysing interaction data, these tools can suggest the best times and methods to reach specific HCPs, reducing the frustration of unsuccessful contact attempts. For the manager, technology provides a window into the quality of interactions. Instead of reviewing call rates, you can use data-driven insights to see where a team member might need support in articulating the value proposition within a specific ICB framework.
As we look toward further integration of AI-driven tools, the opportunity to provide personalised, automated coaching prompts to representatives based on their territory's specific challenges becomes a reality. This technology supports the manager by highlighting trends and outliers, allowing for more focused and impactful one-to-one development sessions.
The Model ICB Blueprint has formalised the decision-making process within the NHS. Field managers need to ensure their teams are comfortable navigating this structure. Decision-making is now a multidisciplinary process involving clinical leads, finance directors, and transformation officers.
The coaching priority here is helping the team map these stakeholders. A field team member must understand who influences the budget and who is responsible for clinical outcomes within the ICB. This requires a higher level of commercial acumen and an ability to speak the language of the NHS planners. Managers can support this by facilitating peer-to-peer learning within the team, where representatives share successful strategies for engaging with non-clinical stakeholders.
The 10-year plan’s emphasis on moving care out of hospitals and into the community changes the 'where' and 'how' of field engagement. If a medication or device supports home-based monitoring or prevents a hospital admission, it aligns directly with the NHS’s current mandate.
Managers should encourage their teams to frame every interaction through this lens. This is particularly relevant when discussing the withdrawal of NICE approval for older medicines. As the NHS looks to decommission legacy treatments, the field team's role is to guide HCPs toward newer, more effective innovations that support the long-term goals of the 10-year plan. This requires a deep understanding of the local health economy and the ability to demonstrate how a new intervention contributes to overall system productivity.
The shift toward a digitally fluent, and ICB-aligned field force requires a specific set of skills. Managers are often faced with the challenge of upskilling their current team while simultaneously needing to scale up for new launches or territory expansions.
This is where strategic resourcing becomes a factor. Many organisations are finding that a hybrid approach which combines a core internal team with a flexible, outsourced field force, provides the agility needed to respond to NHS changes. This allows managers to deploy specialist roles, such as Healthcare Partnership Managers, into high-priority ICBs without the delays associated with traditional permanent recruitment.
At CHASE, we specialise in identifying the talent required for this new era of life sciences engagement. Whether you need to recruit high-calibre representatives with proven KAM experience or require the rapid deployment of an outsourced team to support a specific strategic goal, we provide the expertise to ensure your field force is equipped for the challenges of 2026 and beyond.
The role of the field team manager has evolved into one of a strategic architect. By focusing on incremental change, fostering a KAM mindset, and leveraging intelligent technology, you can lead your team through the current NHS transition with confidence. Acknowledging your team's existing expertise while providing them with the tools and strategies to meet the new demands of the NHS will ensure long-term success in a competitive market.
If you are looking to strengthen your field team or need assistance in navigating the current recruitment landscape, CHASE is here to support you. We can help you find the right people to build lasting partnerships with the NHS.
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