Below are a selection of opinions from delegates attending various training courses delivered by
Acumen TMC. These are taken from end of course feedback questionnaires. We insist on sending out a
pre-course questionnaire to all delegates to ensure we capture their particular requirements and practical
needs for the course. This, together with a detailed brief from the client company and the end of course feedback questionnaire, helps us to ensure that each course is focused on the needs identified and delivers real practical benefit. We try to tackle the real issues people face in the working place.

Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals Trust: January 2004:
THE CULTURAL & DIVERSITY AWARENESS WORKSHOP

“ It is a government drive to promote diversity within the health services, however, raising awareness within the workforce is a key element to address this. Being part of the promotion of diversity in the NHS through
the offer of a Shared Adaptation Programme across Shropshire and Staffordshire Trusts for overseas nurses from Philippines, India, Romania, Zimbabwe and Taiwan, we felt a need to increase awareness on cultural
and diversity issues surrounds us. Rauf Mirza, the speaker on Cultural & Diversity Awareness Workshop on 22 January 2004 at Post Graduate Medical Centre, Staffordshire General Hospital has delivered comprehensively very important aspects on diversity and cultural issues. The workshop was well represented by various
multi-disciplines who find it very informative.”
Marie Porticos, Lead Adaptation Asst. Manager/SNDP Facilitator
Mid Staffordshire General Hospital NHS Trusts

“ All Nursing Staff should attend - a very interesting and thought provoking course...”
Staffs Nurse - Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals Trust"

Staffs LSC February 2004: Cultural Intelligence course for Training providers

"Slide presentation very professional, Rauf Mirza was pleasant and very knowledgeable throughout"

"I want to pass the information I have been given today onto my work colleagues, possibly at staff meetings"

"It was extremely useful and carried out well"

"Really enjoyed course, tutor friendly and professional"

"Good presentation skills and relaxed atmosphere to promote discussion"

"I feel far more confident in confronting and working with people from different religions" " 1 big eye Opener" "I would like to see more people sit this course"

"… a very good training day" Project Co-ordinator for City Council

"Extremely relevant and useful to the issues ... " - Senior partner in major UK accountancy firm

“I found the course very informative. It was well delivered in a easy to understand manner.
Overall very good” - Support Worker

“Excellent really enjoyed the content of the course……hopefully will now be able to make stronger links with the BME community”
Senior Practitioner-Young Peoples services

Cultural intelligence Course: December 2005- East Staffs Borough Council

Individual Feedback:

“Superb content”

“Excellent-lots of ground covered and could have gone on for two days!” HR Assistant

“Enjoyable, Good content, lots of information” Duty Manager

“Should be compulsory for all staff ” Community Liaison Officer

“Very interesting, learned a lot” Environmental Health Officer

"Rauf delivered 'Cultural Intelligence' training for us. Not only was the session informative and interesting, but it also gave us the opportunity to really consider our current practices and think about how we can improve our service. The feedback has been excellent".
Jo Aldrich, Learning & Development Officer Human Resources, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Burton-on-Trent.

Course Ratings: From Council’s own evaluation forms: total of average scores for Good- Excellent:

“I found the two days I have spent with Rauf Mirza to be extremely beneficial. Rauf clearly has a wealth of experience in a wide range of areas of the Medical sales profession. During the two days I have benefited from Raufs expansive knowledge and expertise in the hospital working environment.
We covered a great deal in a relatively short space of time. I not only had the opportunity to develop my skills as a sales professional within a call to a Secondary care customer, but also the most effective ways of getting in front of that customer and countless others on just one day or afternoon. Indeed I found the training and advice centred around the workings of a hospital or ‘village’; as Rauf called it, to be particularly helpful. I certainly know things about hospitals and how to work them most efficiently that I didn’t know before those two days. We looked at everything from formulary protocols and pharmacy practices to extracting information from Consultant secretaries and bleep systems. Indeed understanding how a hospital and a specific department within a hospital, works is vital.
Rauf continually focused on all the key attributes required to be a success in a hospital. “
Representative: AC

“ I feel that without doubt I have as a result of just one visit grown in confidence with regard to hospital selling. The main point that helped me was positive feedback regarding my call with a consultant and new ideas on who to target and why. It was interesting to learn more about pharmacy departments and there importance to hospital success and the fact Drs clinic times can lead to developing calls. It was reassuring to know that I was working on the right lines with regards hospital working and some sensible pointers and advice aided this.
Thanks for the advice so far.”
Representative: M F

"I wanted to send an e-mail so as you were aware as to the extent your recent hospital training has helped both in my development as a hospital representative but also the development of my selling and interpersonal skills in general.You have taught me both basic and advanced skills whilst always looking back so as to ensure both my personal and the company's objectives were met. My confidence in hospital sales is now sky high and I appreciate both how much I know / knew, and what self developmental needs still remain.
I value what you have shown me very highly and know that it has been rewarding and enriching to have had you coaching me through some, at times advanced sales requirements. I assure you the lessons will continue to be put in place and look forward to considerable success in hospitals in the future.
Many thanks again for all your effort and input.”
Representative: M

“ I have found the hospital training provided by yourself to be extremely beneficial and as a result feel far more confident in the hospital arena - and this after just 1 session!
Benefits that were immediately apparent in my working was the finding out of clinic times and then using these as a blueprint for spec calls.
Your coaching re: my “right to be in the hospital” also impacted on my ability to approach physicians and ask for time to speak etc. I have attached for your information the feedback that I provided for the Region [team] after the days training, which illustrates how useful I found the exercise!
All in all I found the whole day a positive experience and no longer view the hospital arena as one to be viewed with trepidation!”
Representative: K T

“ I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for your comprehensive and extremely helpful hospital training.
With regards to the preparatory session, it helped me understand and appreciate the value of my position and the wealth of benefits that I as a Representative can offer to a hospital. You totally clarified and expanded on any grey areas that I had and answered all concerns and more.
Confidence, motivation and a professional work ethic are the three main things that you have developed in me. I have benefited unbelievably from your training as the results have shown…. All of which in my First week in hospitals.”
You made it more than clear that NO ACCESS does not mean NO ACCESS. I now have a list of all the many different avenues that I can explore with regards to access and am sure I will implement them tomorrow successfully.
Finally I look forward to my next session, where I hope to advance my training and skills with your help once again.”
Representative: V R

“ My initial knowledge of working in hospitals was very basic and therefore I had never really had the confidence to make a proper start. Since those two days my approach has been very different and I have actually been looking forward to visiting hospitals most afternoons.
I have listed here below the main training points that you covered during the visits and which have really helped me to move forward. Thanks again.
Working in hospitals is now much less daunting and much more exciting!”
Representative: S H

"In respect of the recent support you have given me with hospital training I would like to offer some brief top line feedback in terms of its value to myself and my team. Firstly as a manager in Todays Pharma industry I find myself with an increasing array of tasks placing more and more burden upon my time, deciding which is the most important to do when I have virtually no field based coaching support is always outweighed by that most important role of spending quality time coaching my team. To be able to identify a team need in this case hospital working, agree specific goals I needed to achieve and agree days needed by individual was fantastic.
The outcome to the exercise is that I was able to concentrate on developing some key projects and customers I needed to work with while having the reassurance may team were receiving quality training on an area of weakness.
The exercise has proved extremely valuable with noticeable changes not only in skills and knowledge but confidence and therefore attitude to hospital working. Clearly the exercise was not a one off, it needs careful and co-ordinated follow up from myself and has certainly demonstrated to me that very real benefits of pulsed coaching which I will hope to take advantage of again very soon.

I have already recommended that my colleagues look at the report we have pulled together and have agreed to feedback to them at our next managers meeting this month.

Thanks again"

Jay Hamilton ABM Daiichi-Sankyo