Managers Matter Campaign

Supporting members be the best managers they can is one of our main priorities. NHS managers often take the blame for any failures in our health and care service but are never congratulated for keeping an enormously complex service running effectively and efficiently. The pandemic has tested an already under resourced service and it has been NHS managers making many of the challenging and difficult decisions under exceptional circumstances.

MiP believes it’s time for managers to stop apologising and talk up their achievements in the NHS and social care. We want to create a hopeful and compelling story that shows off how health and care managers are: 

• building great workplaces where skilled and caring NHS staff can thrive
• delivering with impossible budgets and coping with constant change 
• supporting and developing the staff patients rely on
• managing conflicting demands with skill and compassion
• developing new ideas to improve services for patients
• listening to the public and planning for our future health needs
• defending and promoting the values of the NHS
• keeping services running, however tough it gets
• ensuring equality informs all decisions and actions

MiP has begun a programme of work to support our members as managers and leaders. In April 2021, we held a webinar to launch the first in our series of new guides for members:  Organisational Culture: Creating a Healthy Workplace. Members have told us that despite a strong legal framework and robust policies and procedures, too often discrimination and unfair actions still happen. The guide gives an overview of key concepts, frameworks and resources as well explaining as why this is a key issue for trade unions. It encourages members to start conversations about workplace culture as well as raising the issue formally through your trade union forums. 

In September 2021, another webinar will see MiP launch the second guide in the series, on managing equality and diversity, followed in November by our guide to managing organisational change. Other guides in the pipeline include flexible working and managing health and wellbeing. 

The national committee is fully engaged in this work and we will be adding more resources, events and opportunities to contribute as the project develops. MiP would love to hear your views and ideas on supporting the Managers Matter campaign. Please contact Helen Carr, Head of Operations  at h.carr@miphealth.org.uk. Further information will also be sent out in our members' emails.