“Gerry Robinson and the UK NHS: did he really make a difference?”

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to exploit the TV series “inquest” held 12 months after the original programme to assess the impact of Gerry Robinson (if any) on healthcare delivery effectiveness observed at Rotherham General Hospital, UK, in particular, to explicitly identify the positive features in such a way as to better enable transferability of “good practice” between healthcare organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach adopted is to first chronicle the areas of perceived progress and delivery shortfalls. Thence via careful reference to the established literature to identify the engineering change modus operandi most likely to yield benefits in typical healthcare scenarios. Additionally, to confirm the expected and identify the unexpected barriers to change.

Findings

As with any highly publicised programme, the Hawthorne Effect on the various “actors” is not entirely negligible. A positive step forward is confirmation that actively involving coal‐face players, including physicians, nurses, and support staff in the success gets results. Examples unfortunately emerge where physicians‐led innovation is stifled by either internal or external bureaucracy.

Originality/value

Some reasonably reliable narrative evidence is presented describing what may actually work in healthcare delivery performance improvement programmes.

Citation

Towill, D.R. (2009), "“Gerry Robinson and the UK NHS: did he really make a difference?”", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 76-85. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511870910928038