Health Service Manager

Also known as:

Hospital Manager

Introduction

Health service managers are responsible for the efficient operation of hospitals, general practices and other health services. They manage resources, including staff, money, equipment and buildings. Managers are likely to work closely with doctors, other medical staff, local authorities, voluntary groups and the media.

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Work Activities

Health service managers (HSMs) have a very challenging role in the National Health Service (NHS), the largest public sector organisation in the United Kingdom.

As well as providing primary care (the first services that members of the public go to for treatment or advice) through hospitals and general practices, managers are responsible for many other areas within the NHS.

Managers may be involved in improving community care. This could mean working with social services and voluntary agencies to provide a service for people with disabilities, or vulnerable elderly people. A manager may also take part in a preventive health programme, perhaps meeting with professionals from the Department of Health to discuss how best to educate the public about heart disease.

Managers may also need to communicate with the media, to describe what their service is doing to meet public expectations, for example, when demand is heavy because of high numbers of flu cases during the winter.

Managers work closely with doctors, medical staff and other professionals to put government policy decisions into practice. They decide what their service's priorities are, and think of the best way to use the money and resources available to them. If they decide that they need more resources, such as more staff, HSMs must negotiate to secure them. This involves writing proposals that outline what resources they need, why they need them and how much they will cost.

Managers who have senior posts in hospitals must co-ordinate the work of a number of departments. This means managing all the available resources, including staff, money, equipment and buildings. Managers face a very demanding task in trying to set and balance budgets - this requires very careful financial planning. They also have to make sure support services, such as laundry, catering and transport are working well together.

Health service managers may work in one of two types of management role: non-specialist and specialist. The main areas of specialisation are finance, human resources, purchasing and supplies, hotel management, estates and facilities management, practice management, clinical management and information management.

Managers who specialise in finance may examine internal accounts. They assess financial planning systems and find ways to improve them. In personnel, specialist managers are responsible for recruitment and training, industrial relations and workforce planning. Hotel management includes catering, cleaning, portering and security.

However, the role of the general manager is becoming increasingly diverse. They are likely to work closely with marketing and press departments, and have to have a very broad knowledge of all the departments under their control.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a health service manager, you need to be able to adapt to many different situations and challenges. National Health Service (NHS) managers have very high levels of responsibility, so you will need to be dynamic and able to perform well under considerable pressure. You need to be flexible and prepared to deal with very diverse tasks in quick succession, from organising a laundry department to briefing the press on your hospital's response to a flu epidemic.

You'll need determination and commitment. You must have very strong communication skills, to interact with people from many different backgrounds, and to write reports. You need IT skills to analyse information, write reports and work with budgets. You must also have excellent organisational skills, including financial planning abilities. You will need imagination and ability to use your initiative in day-to-day management.

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Pay and Opportunities

NHS employees are paid on a rising scale within defined pay bands, according to their skills and responsibilities.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Salaries range from around £15,500 - £19,500 a year for supervisory/junior management roles, rising to around £20,000 - £37,500 for clinical team managers. At the higher levels, salaries of more than £90,000 are possible. For Very Senior Managers (VSMs), salaries range from £101,500 - £196,000 a year.

Entrants to NHS Graduate Management Training Schemes receive a starting salary of around £20,000 a year. In-service candidates' pay is protected up to £28,300 a year.

Health service managers usually work a basic 37-hour week, with late finishes and weekend work when necessary.

There are opportunities to work within the health service throughout the UK. The national, local and trade press advertise jobs. There is some limited opportunity for consultancy work for experienced health service managers.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree course, a college or university Access course could be the way in. These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

Many managers join the NHS with experience from outside the health service.

Existing staff in health services, such as administrators or those in clinical practice, for example, nurses and physiotherapists, can apply for the Graduate Management Training Scheme.

This can provide staff with the opportunity to gain management qualifications on a flexible basis, following a finance, human resources or general management pathway. It is also available if you work in social services or a relevant voluntary/charitable organisation.

Senior managers can apply for the NHS Gateway to Leadership programme, which prepares candidates for the most senior positions in the NHS.

• 15% of people in occupations such as health service manager have flexible hours.

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