popillius
Well-Known Member
I do. And my wife certainly does as someone who left the NHS precisely because of managers who knew nothing about practice, insisting that they did and trying to force her hand into giving patients less attention at more cost. She's had to sit in enough manager meetings during her career, with suits pushing shit around the room like dung beetles to know precisely how badly the management structure has been ****ed up. I will clarify; I'm not suggesting that better management isn't needed or that better managers wouldn’t help the situation, but I am advocating fewer managers in places where they aren't necessary and a much more organised structure to the system of both management and procurement; there is a difference and it's a crucial one.Do either of you know what you're talking about? The NHS, imperfect and certainly as underfunded as it is, spends about 1% of its revenue on management overheads. You won't find another health provider come in at less than double that.
My own experience from within is that it could use more managers, and for those managers to be professional managers rather than doctors and nurses who wanted a break from the patients. Sadly, this is politically poison because of the people who believe and spread the myths above
The 'less than 1%' figure you quote is likely to be inaccurate as well. Best estimates suggest that the NHS spends roughly £8 billion of its £100 billion budget on management and administration. Manager numbers are, contrary to common belief, coming down in the NHS, I will grant you that but between 1997 and 2010 they rose by about 34%. These statistics are taken from an independent, charity led organisation aimed at improving health care. They are most certainly not right wing or bigoted in any sense.
In terms of wastage, and I know you didn't specifically pick up on that so this isn't aimed at you, for anyone to believe that suggesting it exists is somehow a 'right wing bigot' is completely brain-numbingly ****ish. It is fact. You don't have to be 'right wing' or reliant on gutter press to know this. I could walk through any practice, any hospital, any care home and show you tens of thousands of pounds being ****ed away within minutes.
My wife's practice is managed perfectly well by one good manager and some exceptional staff. Their wastage is absolutely minimal and controlled by simple but strategic thinking, planning and preparation.
Yes, the organisation is wonderful and yes, it is chronically under resourced and under funded but let's not pretend that any criticism of the way in which it has been managed isn't valid.