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The last two paragraphs of this editorial perhaps say more about the
author's prejudices about NHS management than what we need to do to
improve care for heart failure. I am also surprised that you allowed the
publication of such misleading statistics, which though they may be
literally true, do not really contribute to reasoned debate.
Consider this alternative:
'There continue to be substantially more clinicians in general, and
doctors in particular (estimated 100,000) than managers (39,900) in the
NHS. The large numbers of doctors comes at considerable cost, in
particular following recent substantial pay rises for both Consultants and
GPs as part of new contract arrangements. In most NHS Trusts the highest
paid employee is just as likely to be a doctor as the Chief Executive who
has responsibility for the whole organisation. The basic salary of a
senior consultant is over £100,000 per year, to which may be added up to
£58,000 for those with a 'gold' clinical excellence award or even as much
as £76,000 for those with a 'platinum' award.'
It remains the case that by any external comparison the NHS spends very
little on management. And my experience is that those who criticise
expenditure on management are often the same people who complain that the
NHS is not well managed. The old adage about peanuts and monkeys comes to
mind.
Yours
Jeremy Wight
Competing interests:
As a Director of Public Health, I am both an NHS manager and a practising doctor.
Get investment in managers in perspective
Sir,
The last two paragraphs of this editorial perhaps say more about the
author's prejudices about NHS management than what we need to do to
improve care for heart failure. I am also surprised that you allowed the
publication of such misleading statistics, which though they may be
literally true, do not really contribute to reasoned debate.
Consider this alternative:
'There continue to be substantially more clinicians in general, and
doctors in particular (estimated 100,000) than managers (39,900) in the
NHS. The large numbers of doctors comes at considerable cost, in
particular following recent substantial pay rises for both Consultants and
GPs as part of new contract arrangements. In most NHS Trusts the highest
paid employee is just as likely to be a doctor as the Chief Executive who
has responsibility for the whole organisation. The basic salary of a
senior consultant is over £100,000 per year, to which may be added up to
£58,000 for those with a 'gold' clinical excellence award or even as much
as £76,000 for those with a 'platinum' award.'
It remains the case that by any external comparison the NHS spends very
little on management. And my experience is that those who criticise
expenditure on management are often the same people who complain that the
NHS is not well managed. The old adage about peanuts and monkeys comes to
mind.
Yours
Jeremy Wight
Competing interests:
As a Director of Public Health, I am both an NHS manager and a practising doctor.
Competing interests: No competing interests