Over half of health and social care managers doubt that increased integration will take pressure off the NHS.
A snapshot survey from the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) found that 53.7% had concerns about integration.
However, many managers (66%) have an appetite for greater collaboration between the public and private sectors, and feel that this could be improved by increasing communication.
And there is also uncertainty among managers that their organisation will be able to deliver safe and compassionate care in the future.
Almost three-quarters (74%) have confidence in their organisation’s ability to deliver care, which drops to half (54%) when asked if their organisation would change in the next five years to meet this commitment.
Over two-thirds of managers (66.2%) hadn’t seen evidence that increasing financial pressures had started to inspire greater innovation in health and social care.
Shirley Cramer, chief executive of IHM, said: “Managers are clearly signalling their anxiety about the impact of recent changes to the healthcare system, as well as highlighting increasing stress as they grapple with change. IHM is committed to providing support to managers and to ensure that change does not compromise the highest quality of safe and compassionate care to patients.”
Many of the managers who took part in the survey called for fewer targets and less of a box ticking approach and for more “real leaders with a compassionate, empathetic approach to care.”
