Responding to the speech at NHS ConfedExpo by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care James Murray on 11 June, MiP Chief Executive Jon Restell said:

“The new health secretary says he wants to work with managers and leaders to drive improvements and deliver reform. But it may be two years too late. MiP members are up for reform – they are the people who make it happen. But the shakeup of the last 18 months has led to avoidable harm and disruption. If he means what he says about working together going forward, the Secretary of State must do more to rebuild trust.

“Mr Murray was right to recognise the innovation and creativity that has contributed to improvements in waiting times and patient care. However these improvements are led and driven with the significant support and knowledge of managers. He must also recognise that the people driving the system-wide change needed to achieve the government’s ambitions are the very managers currently concerned about losing their jobs.

“Finally, the Secretary of State made a commitment to give managers more autonomy and freedom. We welcome this. No one knows their local health systems better than the managers serving within them. But innovating is hard when you do not know how many people you will have, the purpose of your organisation and whether there is a job for you in it.

“If Mr Murray wants innovation to flourish, be scaled up and spread across the NHS, he must urgently foster the stable environment needed for this to happen.”