Media centre

Press release: NHS Confederation challenges Government approach to improving performance in the NHS

06 Nov 2001

The Government's performance management of the NHS is not working and is causing short termism according to the NHS Confederation. It is failing to support quality improvement, encourage creativity and empower local management.

At the NHS Confederation's Council meeting today, NHS leaders will be launching a critique of the way that the Government manages performance improvement in the NHS. Policy Director, Nigel Edwards will say, "much of what we do to measure performance in the NHS undermines our attempts to improve it. We are told to be innovative, yet avoid diversity; take risks, but don't fail, change from the bottom, yet do what we are told."

Today's launch focuses on three "leading edge" reports arguing that to improve performance the government must focus less on detailed specific targets and more on identifying key pointers that show how the whole is performing. Mr Edwards continues "the Government is struggling to get out of a continuous cycle of micromanagement of the NHS. If it does not, we are arguing that attempts to turn round the NHS may fail."

Far from arguing that the public services should be left alone, the Confederation believes that politicians have the right to set standards. But these standards must be few and important. These "leading edge" papers represent a first attempt to articulate a different way of improving services. To date, the public sector has not been good at suggesting a different approach.

- ends -

Notes for editors

The "leading edge" papers are:

• Why the NHS won't do what its told - and what might we do about it? - the fundamental problems with perceiving the NHS as a machine bureaucracy. 
• Aligning what we say and how we behave - looking at the contradictions between what we know about the NHS and how the performance management system is set up. 
• Rethinking the system - exploring the minimum specification or principles needed to underpin performance management systems capable of delivering real improvement.
  Paper and electronic copies of the papers can be obtained from publications@nhsconfed.org
  

The NHS Confederation's Council meets four times a year to steer the Confederation's work programme. It is made up of 70 elected representatives from NHS organisations across the UK.

The NHS Confederation is the voice of NHS management. Our members include the majority of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and health authorities in England; trusts, health authorities and local health groups in Wales; trusts and NHS boards in Scotland; and health and social services trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.

Contact details

1. Contact Media Relations Manager Joanna Clason on 020 7074 3306 or 07798 571078 or Senior Media Officer Amy Darlington on 020 7074 3304 or 07767 770309. For out of hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500726.
   

Back to media centre