NHS boat race

[asperity]

There was once a boat race between a Japanese crew and an NHS team. Both practised long and hard to reach their peak performance but on the big day the Japanese won by a mile.

The NHS team became discouraged and morale sagged. Senior managers decided the reason for the crushing defeat must be found and set up a working party to investigate the problem and recommend action.

They concluded that the Japanese had eight people rowing and one steering while the NHS team had eight steering to one rowing. They immediately hired a consultancy to look at the team's structure. Millions of pounds and several months later the consultants concluded that too many people were steering and not enough rowing.

To avoid losing again the team structure was changed to give three assistant steering managers, three steering managers, one executive steering manager and a director of steering services. A performance and appraisal system was also set up, to give the person rowing the boat more incentive to work harder.

The Japanese were challenged to another race - and won by two miles. NHS managers responded by laying off the rower for poor performance, selling the oar and cancelling orders for a new boat. The money saved was used to finance higher-than-average pay awards for the steering group."

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[Latchford Locks]

58 minutes ago, asperity said:

There was once a boat race between a Japanese crew and an NHS team. Both practised long and hard to reach their peak performance but on the big day the Japanese won by a mile.

The NHS team became discouraged and morale sagged. Senior managers decided the reason for the crushing defeat must be found and set up a working party to investigate the problem and recommend action.

They concluded that the Japanese had eight people rowing and one steering while the NHS team had eight steering to one rowing. They immediately hired a consultancy to look at the team's structure. Millions of pounds and several months later the consultants concluded that too many people were steering and not enough rowing.

 

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Bit harsh that asp; considering the efforts put in during the past 12 months

 

[asperity]

I don't criticise the doctors and nurses working for the NHS, but the management of it is a disgrace. The cry is always going out that "the NHS is underfunded" but they never seem to be short of funds advertising for, and employing, ever more middle managers. There's a reason why the NHS model hasn't been copied anywhere else in the world. Perhaps if the management had been worth its salt the front-line workers wouldn't have been put under the pressure they have. It's the NHS management and PHE that is supposed to be prepared for, and to manage events such as we've been up against, not the government.

[Observer II]

The problem with large institutions is that they become fiefdoms, with smaller fiefdoms below; who become bent on their own ideas and self preservation rather than the original mission of the organisation.   Scrap the Trust Boards, scrap all PC appointments, scrap the four devolved NHS "national" groups and have one centrally controlled body - for a start.    😠 

[asperity]

Privatisation Obs? Or a bigger and better Nationalisation (working so well just now isn't it?)

[Observer II]

It's supposed to be a "national" health service, although some would argue it's become international, and others, like Mz Krankie, would argue that the UK isn't a nation.  The main reason for failing is that it's a victim of it's own success, in terms of technical advances and provision, which are expensive and without limitation.  😷