19.05.14
How can healthcare services be managed effectively?
Dr Janet Harrison, programme director for the MSc Healthcare Management and Governance Programme at Loughborough University, discusses the ever-changing NHS.
The management of the NHS is crucial to the wellbeing of the country. However, the institution is nearly 70 years old. The NHS seems to reflect the state of health of 70-year-olds in general. Some are very fit and active with a healthy mind and body, off taking adventures and enjoying life to the full. It must be said that the grey pound is considered to be very strong. Some ‘baby boomers’ are flying high – think of superstars like Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. But others in this age bracket are creaking in all joints and some neither know who or where they are.
The big question is how the NHS can manage to deliver services for all of these different people with this the “time bomb of ageing’. The UK population is growing ever-older and the potential for an extended life span increasing daily. New medication and treatments also lead to improved patient care. Against this background is the challenge of ever-decreasing available funds for the NHS and social services in the UK.
The current demographic, economic and political environment in the UK increasingly brings huge challenges for healthcare managers. The management of healthcare services is always demanding, publically scrutinised and not often praised. However, there are individuals who choose to do this type of job. These individuals require a specialised education to manage well and effectively as any other healthcare professional.
The development of the MSc Healthcare Management and Governance programme at Loughborough University is a positive move for the School of Business and Economics. It is a response to develop an academic approach to the complex business of healthcare. It brings together academic excellence and practitioner experience. The programme is also in line with Loughborough University’s Resilience research challenge giving academic rigour. Thus, this programme is designed to provide a first class experience for the students.
The MSc Healthcare Management and Governance programme has been specifically designed to meet the needs of healthcare management across the spectrum of healthcare services. During the programme development, the fact that the NHS is ever-changing was taken into account. It is acknowledged that new roles are emerging in the NHS and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. For instance the establishment of new organisations like clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) demand a whole new raft of professional management skills from clinicians, while part-time management roles shift the perspective of staff on the CCG boards.
Many individuals are having to learn how to be ‘partners’ in the provision of care – not sole providers. This is all part of a paradigm shift occurring in healthcare services in England.
The MSc Healthcare Management and Governance programme was designed to attract health practitioners and managers from all areas of healthcare management. The marketing of the new programme has been successful and has met this objective; the current cohort studying at Loughborough includes students from the private sector, including BUPA and BMI, management consultants, the voluntary sector, NHS managers, including those involved with governance and risk, as well as doctors and nurses. It is truly a great variety and mix of professionals.
The approach at Loughborough is to promote an element of peer learning. This group has a particular advantage as they can draw upon many aspect of healthcare, including the operational frontline.
The MSc programme is part of the Executive Education portfolio in the School of Business and Economics at Loughborough and as such the intake of students is purposely limited. This is to ensure a good staff to student ratio. Also, a smaller-sized cohort ensures that the students are known as individuals not merely numbers.
In April 2014, the first cohort of students attended the first module of the MSc Healthcare Management and Governance programme; ‘Management and Leadership’. From the resulting student presentations of a real life case study, it is clear that a ‘new breed’ of healthcare services leaders are being developed and in waiting.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
E: [email protected]
W: www.lboro.ac.uk/hmg
Dr Janet Harrison