SENIOR NHS officials 'exploited' the health service by accepting almost £70,000 in bribes to promote prescription drugs to doctors, a court heard.

Medicine boss Paul Jerram and Dr David Turner allegedly acted as 'paid influencers' for pharmaceutical companies by recommending medicines to GPs in exchange for 'secret' payments.

Jurors were told the NHS officials — compared to referees in the 'pocket' of a football team — were paid by businessman Noel Staunton, whose consultancy firm represented pharmaceutical companies.

As a result of their 'corrupt' seven-year scheme on the Isle of Wight, the court heard the 'integrity' of NHS doctors making honest recommendations about prescription drugs was breached and medicines were improperly pushed to GP surgeries and advisory boards.

Health service pharmacist Cathal Daly — also accused of accepting backhanders — is also part of the group now on trial for a string of bribery charges.

At Southampton Crown Court, prosecutor James Hines said: "They used their expertise, their inside knowledge, their influence, and their familiarity with NHS systems to further their own, private interests.

"They achieved this in a number of different ways, but the object was always the same — to line their own pockets. They took improper payments time and time again.

"These defendants were each corrupt. They placed their own gain ahead of carrying out their important public functions properly."

The court heard Mr Jerram, 69, was head of medicine management and lead pharmacist at the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) from 2004 and possessed 'great influence' there.

Dr Turner, 66, was a Ventnor GP who worked as a consultant to the IW CCG and also chaired a care prescription committee which advised the CCG and was comprised of specialist nurses and doctors.

Together, the pair ran JTRx, which stands for Jerram Turner Prescribe, and used the company as a 'vehicle for bribery', Mr Hines said.

In total, they allegedly received or agreed to receive £68,760 in 'bungs' from January 2008 to July 2015.

Mr Staunton, 60, was 'very handsomely paid' by his pharmaceutical company clients through his company 3i Consultancy and was long-term friends with Mr Jerram.

Mr Staunton is accused of paying the pair to promote drugs manufactured by his clients, such as cholesterol drugs and ointments.

Mr Jerram and Dr Turner allegedly duped individual GP surgeries by visiting under the guise of their role within the CCG management team to access patient records and recommend the surgery 'switch' drugs to ones pharma companies paid them to promote.

The pair accepted £48,000 from British firm Stirling Anglian Pharmaceuticals to arrange and attend advisory boards then endorse their drugs at them.

Pharmaceutical companies were promised by Mr Jerram and Dr Turner the money they paid into JTRx would be transferred to the IW CCG — but it never was.

On behalf of the IW CCG, Mr Jerram was in charge of a software called ScriptSwitch, which helps GPs across the UK by telling them the different alternatives available when they need to prescribe a drug.

Mr Hines said, for drugs companies, having their drug appear on ScriptSwitch would 'benefit' them as it would improve sales but there was no 'legitimate' way they can pay to be included.

As the IW CCG's sole editor for ScriptSwitch, he had a 'hugely important' role but breached the 'integrity' by accepting payments from Mr Staunton to promote drugs.

In an 'extremely lucrative' scheme, Mr Staunton repeatedly promised pharma companies he could get their drug highlighted on ScriptSwitch, regularly being paid fees up to £30,000.

He would give Mr Jerram smaller 'backhanders' for his cooperation.

Mr Jerram suggested he would prioritise the dishonest work over legitimate NHS work if Mr Staunton paid more.

On one occasion, Mr Jerram allegedly tried to cover his tracks by telling Mr Staunton 'can you erase my name please'.

Mr Jerram and Dr Turner allegedly bribed Daly with £1,000 to get South Norfolk CCG to sign a rebate deal which benefitted them financially.

Mr Hines said the defendants 'effectively allowed pharma companies to buy the services of NHS staff'.

Drugs companies are not accused of any wrongdoing.

Mr Hines said: "The prosecution case is that it is completely improper for an NHS professional secretly to promote a particular drug within the NHS to his fellow NHS healthcare professionals when he is in effect in the position of a paid influencer for the pharma company that manufactures that drug.

"That is what was happening on the Isle of Wight for some years.

"It’s no answer to say 'but the drug is cheaper or better'. That doesn’t permit or allow you to accept a bung, a bribe, a backhander — whatever you call it. To use the old word, that’s corrupt.

"This case is not about how many NHS doctors accepted the recommendations or suggestions or the extent to which the sales of the drugs concerns increased.

"It is about abusing the trust NHS professionals place in each other to be swapping ideas of best practice in good faith, impartially.

"How can a person make a truly impartial recommendation if he is being paid for making it?"

Mr Jerram, of Shanklin, is charged with six counts of bribery and one count of corruption while Dr Turner, of Ventnor, is charged with five counts of bribery.

The pair allegedly received or accepted a total of £62,560, with Mr Jerram receiving or accepting an additional £6,200.

Mr Staunton, of Seaview, faces a corruption charge relating to a payment of £2,000 and a bribery charge relating to paying a £4,200 fee.

Mr Daly, 51, of Norwich, Norfolk, faces a bribery charge relating to receiving £1,000.

The trial continues.

Picture: Businessman Noel Staunton, Dr David Turner and medicine boss Paul Jerram arrive at Southampton Crown Court. Pictures courtesy of Ewan Galvin/Solent News and Photo Agency.