Free managers to do their job, union tells Matt Hancock

Responding to the negative comments on NHS managers by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, at the launch of the NHS People Plan, MiP Chief Executive Jon Restell said:
“Matt Hancock is wrong to conflate bureaucratic processes and management. We need managers. Staff need managers. Patients need managers. Matt Hancock needs managers.
“And we really need good processes in the NHS. Process and regulation are vital to ensure that a system is fair, just and above all accountable, and accountability is a necessary part of a system, not just ‘red tape’. The NHS is paid for with public money and run for the people of the UK, and process allows the people who make choices within the system to be held accountable for those choices.
“It would have been more productive for the Secretary of State to talk about how to free up managers to focus more of their time on supporting staff and service improvement, and to tackle the monumental tasks of resuming services and handling a second wave of Covid-19, rather than wasting their very limited time looking up at him.
“We have seen from this pandemic that having more managers in the right place, working more closely together and with more funding at their disposal, is paying off for staff and patients– and improving service quality.”
Related News
-
Helen Carr retires, Jamie Briers steps up and Rosie Kirk joins MiP
Helen Carr’s retirement as MiP’s head of operations at the end of September marks the end of a long and distinguished career in the trade union movement and public service, writes Jon Restell.
-
Government unveils barring scheme for executive-level managers
MiP has welcomed the government’s decision to limit its barring scheme to the most senior NHS managers, but says the proposal is “a small piece of the jigsaw”.
-
MiP National Committee Election 2025: How to stand
MiP is electing a new National Committee for 2026-2027. Find out how to stand for election.