The new Government review of health and care leadership in England

By Dr Paul Evans

FMLM Medical Director

The announcement last weekend of the Government’s plan to launch the “most far-reaching review” of health and social care leadership in England since the Griffiths Report in 1983, will inevitably require careful and considered input from the medical profession.

It is not surprising, with the promise of an extra £36bn for the health and social care sector following Covid, and the forthcoming rise in National Insurance contributions, that the Government is seeking to elicit optimal return on the investment.

It is understood the terms of reference of the review will be focused on “how to foster and replicate the best examples of leadership” along with “reducing regional disparities in efficiency and health outcomes” and will be undertaken by a collaboration of military and business leadership prowess.

The details of how the review will be conducted and the outcomes measured are yet to be determined, but it has and will continue to raise questions throughout the profession.

FMLM has spent the past 10 years pointing to the importance of medical engagement in leadership and management and how it enhances the quality of patient care and the overall patient experience. High quality, collaborative leadership and management is crucial to high performing, successful healthcare cultures; there is overwhelming evidence to support this and much of it corroborated throughout the Covid pandemic. 

The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, as our name suggests and our vision dictates, stands ready to engage with and participate in the latest plan to review healthcare leadership and management.