Health service managers could be barred from senior roles, under plans announced by the prime minister to reform the NHS in the wake of several high-profile scandals.
Gordon Brown said the ability to “strike off” underperforming managers would improve the quality of senior staff, in addition to repairing the reputation of the health service after a series of notorious failures, such as that at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, where as many as 1,200 patients died because of sub-standard conditions over a three-year period.
The proposals, which include a more robust recruitment and vetting process, improved corporate governance and a consultation over the establishment of a regulatory system, will now be considered by Robert Francis QC, the chairman of the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry.
Responding to questions about the incident, Mr Brown said: “I am grateful to the secretary of state for health for bringing forward a series of recommendations, including a recommendation that where management fails, just as with doctors, we should be able to strike off from a list those managers who are not acceptable to health authorities.
“This is a failure in management that has to be dealt with.”
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Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry
Your comments (terms and conditions apply):
“Sounds good to me, provided there is a fair disciplinary process in place. Can we use the same system for politicians? Losing a seat doesn’t seem to work as they have a tendancy to reappear in a bigger and better job in Europe!” – Name and address withheld
