NHS needs managers and leaders: a brief report from the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management conference 2024

Effective management and leadership are needed for the successful running and improvement of National Health Service (NHS) organisations and enhance the ability of these organisations to improve. However, NHS managers are often undervalued, and there are serious shortfalls in management capacity. We hosted a workshop with a diverse audience of health professionals, to explore this issue in depth.

The workshop took place at the annual Faculty of Medical Leadership & Management conference 2024 with five panellists and roughly 40 delegates, lasting for over 90 minutes. It consisted of individual presentations, panel discussions, questions and answers and online polling and commentary. The results were analysed using thematic analysis.

We identified four themes. The first included an overall lack of management capacity in the NHS, with fewer managers compared with other sectors and countries. Difficulties in interprofessional relationships was a second theme, for example, the lack of understanding or appreciation for the management role. Significant variation in development, training and career opportunities was the third theme. Discussions on potential regulation for NHS managers was the final theme.

The workshop report identified important challenges affecting managers and leaders in the NHS. Addressing these will be crucial to sustaining and improving high-quality care.