Press release: UNISON and NHS confederation attack insulting myths about NHS support staff
22 Mar 2005
UNISON and the NHS Confederation today launch a new report to dispel myths about the contribution of NHS staff who support frontline staff such as doctors and nurses - everyone from chief executives to cleaners.
"Completing the picture" profiles support staff who work for Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in central London and Ashfield and Mansfield District Primary Care Trusts.
The report is launched on the same day that workforce statistics published by the Department of Health show that:
? less than 3% of the 1.3 million staff employed by the NHS in England are managers or senior managers
? 13% of NHS staff provide 'infrastructure support' which means they are responsible for key services including cleaning, catering, laundry and IT
? just 37,700 staff (managers or senior managers) are responsible for managing an annual NHS budget of £67.4 billion.
The national NHS staff survey by the Healthcare Commission, also published today, shows that managers are viewed favourably by other health service staff:
? respondents were asked how they rated the 'quality of senior management leadership' on a scale of 1 to 5, ranging from 'very poor' to 'excellent' - the average score was 4
? 60% of respondents said senior managers in their organisation were 'focused on meeting patients' needs' - just 14% said they were not
? 54% of respondents said senior managers in their organisation 'support new ideas for improving services for patients' - just 15% said they didn't.
Today's Department of Health statistics prove that the lazy stereotyping of these staff as 'pen-pushers' , 'bureaucrats' or 'paper shufflers' has perpetuated a misleading myth about the number of non-clinical staff employed by the NHS.
An ICM poll in September 2004 revealed that the public estimated 48% of NHS staff were not involved directly in patient care - the actual figure published in the official statistics today is 16% which means that 84% of NHS staff are directly involved in looking after patients.
Dr Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, says: "Managerial and support staff are a vital part of the NHS team because they allow doctors, nurses and other frontline clinical staff to concentrate on what they do best - caring for patients.
"We are fed up with the demonising of thousands of hardworking health service staff and the report we are launching jointly with UNISON today demonstrates that managers and support staff are the backbone of the NHS."
Karen Jennings, Head of Health at UNISON, says: "Support staff are real people with real jobs who are vital to the smooth running of the NHS team. We've all seen recent press reports about police officers getting bogged down with paperwork, and we don't want to see the same happening in the NHS where people's lives could be put at risk.
"The NHS would grind to a halt without the often forgotten thousands of workers who serve meals, clean wards, make appointments, take notes and support healthcare professionals daily in a multiplicity of ways. It's time to appreciate their efforts and say thank you."
Many managerial decisions in the NHS are taken by staff who are doctors, nurses or other clinicians.
One of the staff featured in "Completing the picture" is Barbara Brady, Senior Public Health Manager at Ashfield and Mansfield District Primary Care Trusts, who helps the PCTs meet the health needs of local people.
Barbara, who has worked in the NHS for 24 years and was a nurse before moving into a managerial role, says: "Preventative healthcare measures on obesity, smoking, diet and exercise would not be focused on if it wasn't for people like me in this sort of role.
"We can take a view on what services to put in place to meet a particular need and what has to be done to support clinicians to provide those services."
Dr Frances Flinter, Clinical Director of children's services at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals, is a doctor whose managerial responsibility means that she helps make key decisions about a brand new £60 million children's hospital which is due to open on the St Thomas' Hospital site later this year.
She says: "There's this ridiculous vision that the only people who do any work in the NHS are doctors and nurses, while all these other people are walking around with bits of paper, filling in charts. And it's rubbish - they are actually the backbone of what gets done."
Notes for editors
1. A research poll carried out by ICM Research Ltd in September 2004 demonstrated public misconceptions about the number of NHS staff who are not involved directly in patient care. On average, respondents said they thought 48% of staff were not involved in patient care - the true figure is 16%.
2. The NHS Confederation's membership includes more than 90% of the organisations that make up the NHS. Its members include the majority of NHS trusts, foundation trusts, primary care trusts and health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; NHS boards and special boards in Scotland; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
3. UNISON represents more than 400,000 employees in the NHS and staff employed by private contractors, the voluntary sector and general practitioners.
Contact details
Contact Matt Akid at the NHS Confederation on 020 7074 3306 or Anne Mitchell at UNISON on 020 7383 0717 for further information or copies of the full "Completing the picture" report.
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