NHS must weed out low-ranking unproductive bosses, warns report backed by ex-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt

featured-image

THE NHS needs to weed out low-ranking unproductive bosses, a report says. There are too many layers of management , the Policy Exchange think tank warned. 2 A report has claimed the NHS needs to weed out low-ranking unproductive bosses Credit: Getty 2 The report was backed by ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt Credit: Reuters It found half of staff with “manager” in their title are not senior leaders and too many are in Whitehall instead of hospitals.

And eight in ten health boards had not fired a boss for poor performance in at least a year. But the report, backed by ex- health secretary Jeremy Hunt, said the NHS is “under-managed” compared to other sectors. It added: “Too much discussion is on the volume of managers.



READ MORE ON THE NHS HIGH ALERT Children at risk of killer infections as vaccination rates plummet, NHS warns DOC WON'T SEE YOU NHS crisis deepens as GPs slash hours by 10% amid soaring waiting lists “A greater focus on capability is needed. We need to reappraise where managers are positioned — the central bureaucracy is significant.” Labour’s own review found the number of penpushers in the Department of Health has soared.

Lord Ara Darzi said regulation has become a “burden” to frontline NHS chiefs. Mr Hunt, health secretary from 2012 to 2018, said: “It is without a doubt that effective management is required if we want to deliver a high-performing NHS.” Most read in Health DISGRACEFUL My son died in 'hell on Earth' hospital where he was 'raped and over-medicated' SHOCK Student wrongly told smelling bacon & deja vu were 'just anxiety & drinking too much' 'BEAUTIFUL PERSON' Wife's heartbreaking tribute to BBC DJ who died from rare cancer RED ALERT Mum's photo shows sinister mark after docs said 1cm further & it could've killed The report recommended NHS England be shut down and the Department of Health be given control of the health service.

An NHS spokesman said: “A third fewer staff work in NHS England than in 2022, saving almost £0.5billion for patient care.” It came as the Institute for Fiscal Studies found Britain’s rise in ill health benefit payments was not mirrored in other countries.

Payouts are up to 3.9 million, from 2.8 million in 2019, with one in ten adults now getting handouts.