CMI response
CMI statement in response to the independent report into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
The results of the latest inquiry into the Stafford Hospital crisis reveal a catalogue of management failures at every level and within every aspect of the hospital, its services and its structure. CMI is calling on the NHS to ensure that all its management staff possess adequate professional qualifications and, where appropriate, to put a rigorous programme of professional development in place to ensure any gaps in skills at management level are addressed.
Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the CMI says:
"The latest report into the Stafford Hospital crisis reveal deficiencies and shortcomings within virtually every aspect of the management team and its work, including a culture in which bullying was commonplace and staff were fearful of reprisals if they brought issues to attention. It is evident, too, that an emphasis on meeting targets was prioritised well ahead of considerations about staff wellbeing, performance, and, worst still, patient safety. Additionally, change was constant, poorly managed and inadequately explained, to the point where structural changes took place without any consultation, and at the cost of people's lives.
"Stafford Hospital is a prime example of what can happen when those responsible for leading an organisation lack the professional skills required to meet the demands of the job in hand. To this end, the health service should now examine the potential for a policy whereby it only employs managers who are professionally qualified, and take steps to qualify its existing workforce. The wider NHS has much to learn from the failings in Staffordshire and needs to take urgent action to ensure that such a scenario never occurs again.
"Finally, the UK management community as a whole should take heed of what can happen when management and leadership fail sorely to deliver, and see it as a catalyst for change in every sector, particularly where leadership inadequacies have already led to crises. Tough questions must be asked about how we can improve management and leadership standards, not only within the health service, but all industries. The question on everyone's lips should be: what can we learn from this?"
Ruth Spellman's comments come against a backdrop of figures showing that just 1 in 5 managers in the UK are professionally qualified. Data from the CMI also shows that 31 per cent of managers feel overloaded with work and 23 per cent claim that the long hours they work adversely affects their ability to make decisions.
If you have any questions regarding this statement, or CMI, please contact Patrick Woodman, CMI's Senior Public Affairs Officer, on 020 7421 2704 or by email at patrick.woodman@managers.org.uk.
