Why is nobody listening to the experts.
This is a letter published in the Telegraph today
SIR – I’m a retired consultant, and I know that so-called managers have multiplied dramatically over the past quarter of a century.
Hospitals used to be run by the consultants, who are the only people with the knowledge to appreciate what is necessary in healthcare. The medical executive committee consisted of one consultant from each specialty, and it discussed what was necessary for the proper functioning of the hospital. Its decisions were communicated to the hospital secretary, who implemented them.
Now, the hospital secretary has been replaced with a CEO, who is in charge of countless other managers. This grotesque experiment in managerialism has resulted in huge increases in expenditure without any improvement in patient care, as these managers are not medically qualified. They are appointed in order to prevent doctors spending too much money.
Unless this is reversed, with consultants put in charge of all medical decisions, the NHS will collapse. The health service exists to diagnose and treat. Doctors do this with the help of nurses, physiotherapists and others. They do not need managers, whatever politicians might imagine.
