Health services manager
A health service manager is responsible for the provision and commissioning of local health care through the management of hospital, general practitioner (GP) and community health services. Managers liaise with clinical and non-clinical staff and staff in partner organisations, whilst considering the demands of political policy and local circumstances.
There is a huge range of managerial roles within health services, including those in finance, human resources (HR), clinical management, staff management, project management and procurement, information management, facilities management, and operational management.
Most jobs are in NHS settings, with opportunities also increasing in the private health care sector.
Managers in both the National Health Service (see NHS Careers and the private sector are required to manage the cost, delivery and quality of health care services.
Depending on the department or the specific nature of the role, tasks may involve:
The National Health Service (NHS) graduate management training scheme is open to internal and external graduates of all disciplines. In England, there are four specialisms: general management; human resource management; informatics management; and finance management. Each requires a minimum 2.2 degree classification in any subject; or an alternative equivalent health or management-related qualification. A full list of accepted qualifications is available online from the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme at NHS Leadership Programmes but note that the website is closed for applications between November and August.
In England, applications open in August of the year before the course begins and candidates need to apply by November of that year. The graduate programmes start in September. Candidates for schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should check recruitment schedules and procedures by contacting the NHS Scotland Management Training Scheme , Gateway to NHS Wales or the Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland: General Management Training Scheme .
NHS employees, provided they meet the basic requirements, may apply for the scheme after gaining relevant experience in other roles. Graduates with complex or senior management experience should see NHS Gateway to Leadership .
Entry is competitive. England has the largest NHS graduate programme. Recruiting figures vary depending on requirements; in 2008/9 there were over 10,000 applications for 300 graduate places.
Some private-sector providers, such as BUPA, also have their own graduate management training schemes (see BUPA Graduate Opportunities ).
Entry and progression are also possible (with an appropriate degree and background) into specialist areas, such as property management, human resources (HR), IT and information management.
Some staff with backgrounds in areas other than management can progress into management by gaining qualifications and experience. It is also fairly common for medical professionals, such as nurses, doctors and therapists, to move into general management roles, particularly those involving clinical services. Unlike the management training scheme, this is not a formalised process, but works on an individual basis. Others with management experience who are working outside the NHS may also apply for management positions.
Diplomates can enter management roles within the NHS, although they are not normally eligible to enter any of the graduate training schemes. Entrants can also join the NHS at administrator level with GCSEs or equivalent qualifications and work their way up, gaining promotion through junior management roles.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
General, informatics, and human resources (HR) management trainees have two years of intensive training; financial management trainees are allowed up to two and a half years in order to complete professional qualifications. National Health Service (NHS) training for all schemes combines work experience with formal management training, projects and attachments. All include an orientation programme introducing trainees to the NHS. The training scheme is followed by a further two years of support. Individual learning accounts are provided to enable new managers to top up their qualifications, or to carry out other developmental opportunities.
General management trainees work towards a PgDip in Health and Public Leadership. Graduates studying the HR management thread work towards a PgDip in Human Resource Management and graduate Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) status. Informatics management trainees work towards a PgDip in Health Informatics.
Training in the financial scheme lasts slightly longer and combines work-based placements with studying for a professional accounting qualification through the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) or the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) .
Managers not on graduate schemes can take advantage of many other in-service management training programmes. Within most areas of the NHS, there is a culture of continuing professional development (CPD). More information is available from the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) .
See the websites of private health providers for details of their training expectations and provision.
Trainees on the graduate training schemes are not guaranteed employment after completion of training but are supported into a first post. A wide range of opportunities is available within NHS management upon completion of training, including roles in community or hospital settings, and in policy development and operational or strategic planning.
Managers coming through the graduate trainee schemes will usually be expected to gain rapid promotion, largely subject to achievement and performance in initial roles. A degree of mobility and flexibility is helpful to enhance development prospects. Many trainees gain their initial job through their final placement.
It is possible for highly successful managers to move into director or chief executive roles within ten years of completing their training.
For those entering management from internal administrative or other roles, qualifications in management and/or relevant specialist areas, such as facilities management, human resources (HR) or finance, would assist promotion. Management training is also offered by the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) . Specific higher-level management qualifications, such as a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), a Diploma in Management Studies (DMS) or NVQ Levels 4 and 5, would also greatly assist progression.
A good understanding of health policy and the trends in government thinking can also assist career development. In recent years, the National Health Service (NHS) has had to deal with many new policies and initiatives in funding, organisation, approaches to management, and patient care; along with a demand for increasing accountability and measurement of performance. These require managers to adapt successfully and to implement changes quickly.
The UK health sector employs around two million people, or about 7% of the UK workforce, and 73% of employment within the UK’s health sector is in the NHS, 21% within the private sector, 1.9% within the voluntary sector and the remainder within local authorities and other organisations (Labour Market Intelligence, Skills for Health , 2008).
The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer in Europe, with 1.37 million staff providing services to approximately 60 million people. In 2008, there was a 9.4% increase in the number of managers. Managers may work in one of the around 500 NHS organisations in England alone, covering four main areas:
The private health care sector is continuing to expand. To reflect this, some providers have now developed their own graduate management training schemes (see, for example, BUPA Graduate Opportunities . To illustrate the relative size of the private sector, BMI Healthcare (part of the General Healthcare Group (GHG) the largest provider of 'independent' health care in the UK) now operates almost 60 private hospitals. Recruitment is open to both new entrants to the sector and to those with NHS experience. Some providers, such as BMI, actively encourage speculative applications from those interested in a career with them.
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