Trusts can improve care by engaging their staff better, says think tank

A UK health think tank says it has produced “compelling evidence” that NHS organisations are safer, more effective, and financially stronger when they “engage” properly with doctors and other staff.

Studies show that performance improves across a range of measures, the King’s Fund says, with fewer errors, lower infection and mortality rates, higher staff motivation, and better experiences for patients.

Chris Ham, the fund’s chief executive, said it was clear that the NHS should give greater priority to involving doctors and other clinicians in decision making and encouraging medical leadership.

“The business case for leadership and engagement for improvement is compelling at a time when the NHS needs to deliver unprecedented efficiency savings over many years,” he said.

The fund’s report is published this week (23 May),1 a year after its commission on the future of leadership and management …