§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is currently taking to encourage the involvement of doctors and other medical staff in the management of services.
§ Dr. Mawhinney[holding answer 11 March 1994]: Ensuring effective collaboration between clinicians and managers has been central to the reforms in national health service management.
One of the basic elements of the resource management programme in the hospital and community health services was the encouragement of clinical staff to become involved in management. This led in many cases to the appointment of doctors and other health professionals as clinical directors. Most NHS trusts now have a medical director on their board, contributing to their strategic and operational management.
The need for managers and clinicians to work closely together is essential to the success of contracting. Guidance has been issued to purchasers and providers requiring them to involve clinicians and other professionals in the contracting process. The need to involve doctors and nurses in the contracting process was also stressed in the second of my speeches on "Purchasing for Health" last year.
Encouraging general practitioners to join the GP fundholding scheme brings them in to the heart of NHS management and patients have clearly benefited from the more sensitive management of NHS resources which this brings.
Opportunities for specific training in aspects of management are available to doctors during their postgraduate training and are included in continuing education programmes.
540WThe National Health Service Management Executive also supports, and partly funds, the British Association of Medical Managers, whose overall aim is to achieve the highest quality in health care management.