Press release: More light, less noise on NHS management
19 Mar 2004
The NHS Confederation welcomed the rise in NHS managers, doctors and nurses today, but called for a fresh debate about how management makes a difference to patient care.
Dr Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "In the face of a rising tide of misplaced criticism over waste and bureaucracy in the NHS, it is time to recognise that investment in high quality management is an investment in patient care."
Strengthening the leadership and management of the NHS is paying real dividends for patients, with 93 per cent of people now able to see their GP within 48 hours and big cuts in waiting times for surgery. NHS staff also believe managers are putting patients first. A recent staff survey conducted by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) found that 80 per cent of staff felt that senior management are focused on meeting patient need as their top priority.
Much of the increase in managers reflects the creation of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) that aim to improve the quality of care and deliver services closer to where patients need them. PCTs now manage 75 per cent of the NHS budget and their management capacity has expanded to meet this extra responsibility.
Dr Morgan added: "Despite these increasing roles, NHS management is still cost effective. Management costs as a proportion of NHS spending fell from 5% in 97-8 to 3.9% in 02-03, and managers make up only 2.8 per cent of the 1.3 million staff in the NHS."
The NHS Confederation believes the time is right for NHS managers to receive the recognition they deserve. Managing the NHS is one of the toughest jobs in the world. With only 35,300 managers responsible for 1.3m staff and a budget of £67.4bn rising to £90.2bn in 2007, the scale of the management challenge is immense. Indeed, independent reports from CHI and the Audit Commission still suggest that far from being over managed, management capacity is still very stretched.
Gill Morgan added: "The debate about the NHS had been clouded by assumptions that there are too many managers, we must shift this if we are to shed more light on the changes necessary to improve the NHS. Patients want real improvements to their health care, rather than listening to constant criticism of the very people who are trying to deliver what they need."
Notes for editors
- The NHS Confederation represents the organisations that make up the NHS. Our ordinary members include the majority of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; trusts and NHS boards in Scotland; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
Contact details
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