Abstract
The image of the UK National Health Service manager has not always been positive. Like others in the public sector, NHS managers are sometimes associated in the media with waste and inefficiency, in contrast to those in 'front line roles'. Thus healthcare professionals and members of the public might ask, in the tradition of Monty Python's Life of Brian, whatNHS managers have ever done for us. Inthis short article, we outline some of the evidencefrom the literature on attitudes to, and role of, healthcare managers, before drawing on our own interview and observation based fieldwork with managers themselves. We argue that the role of the healthcare manager is not always well understood, and that in a sector facing ever more intense and large scale organisational challenges, managers should be seen as important partners in a health service focused on clinical outcomes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 84-87 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | London Journal of Primary Care |
Volume | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Oct 2010 |
Keywords
- Efficiency
- Managers
- Nhs
- Organisations
- Policy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health