Keywords
Citation
(2008), "UK - NHS Confederation: majority of leadership is strong", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 21 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhs.2008.21121cab.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
UK - NHS Confederation: majority of leadership is strong
Article Type: News and views From: Leadership in Health Services, Volume 21, Issue 3
Keywords: Leadership challenges, Healthcare delivery, Good practice
Dr Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, has sought to reassure the public that problems in the NHS are “relatively rare”.
Her comments follow a report from the Healthcare Commission that outlines the common weaknesses underlying leadership of NHS trusts where concerns about serious breakdowns in healthcare had been raised.
The health watchdog carried out 14 investigations between August 2004 and April 2007 as a result of 200 referrals about serious breakdowns in healthcare in NHS trusts being made.
“This is a valuable report to help spread the lessons from serious failings. The messages are strong and clear but we should reassure the public the cases are relatively rare – of 200 referrals over a three-year period, 14 resulted in a full investigation”, Dr Morgan said.
“The majority of boards ensure the good running of their trusts and we all want to work with the healthcare commission to ensure this good practice is spread”.
She added that organisations must be given autonomy to make decisions to ensure good leadership, “rather than be looking up the line to the Department of Health and being dominated by central targets”.
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