Managing our NHS

As joint chair of the NHS Staff Council, Oonagh Monkhouse negotiates with unions on behalf of hundreds of NHS employers. But she’s also a working manager as director of workforce at the Royal Papworth, the UK’s leading heart and lung hospital. She talks to Matt Ross about boosting staff morale, building management capacity and why it’s important to try walking in someone else’s shoes.

“The government miscalculated on all sorts of fronts”, says Sara Gorton, UNISON’s lead negotiator during the recent NHS pay dispute. She tells Matt Ross how a tide of dissatisfaction from workers and strong public support enabled union negotiators to hold their nerve and cut a pay deal that won overwhelming backing from members.

Staff shortages, plunging morale and shrinking pay packets are pushing more and more board-level NHS managers towards the door. A fair pay award would help to stabilise NHS leadership – just when the service needs it most

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan still works regular shifts at her local hospital alongside her day job as Labour MP for Tooting. Now shadow mental health minister, she tells Matt Ross about Labour’s still-sketchy plans for the NHS, the impact of frontline staff shortages and why she backs striking nurses.

MiP and 13 other NHS unions announce they will not submit evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body for the 2023 pay round while industrial action is ongoing.

MiP is launching a ‘Sounding Board’ and a new survey to gauge the views of its board-level members and help the union prepare evidence for the 2023 pay review body report.

For most NHS managers, unfair criticism is like water off a duck’s back. But the denigration and devaluing of management does real damage to the NHS. Here's how MiP plans to take on the manager-bashers and promote a positive view of the vital work managers do.

The government's response to the multiple crises facing the NHS has been negligent. But ministers will not change course unless forced to do so. That's why I'm asking MiP members to vote yes to industrial action this autumn.

Sir Gordon Messenger's review of management and leadership in health and social care could pave the way to better career management, more effective training and development and wider opportunities for managers. Sir Gordon talks to MiP’s Jon Restell about the review and what it means for MiP members.

After two years of relentless pressure, many NHS operational managers are tired, fed-up and ready to leave their vital jobs. We talk to some who are determined to stick it out and are reaching out to support each other.