Health manpower management最新文献

Views the closure of a hospital in an unusual manner. Questions the role of health workers as "care in the community" comes to the fore. Raises questions about psychiatric hospitals, people with mental health problems and mental health workers.

Notes the problem of rising health care costs in the USA. Considers a highly controversial solution to this problem, which is to consider health care as a scarce resource and to ration access to it. Whether rationing is done by age, ability to pay, or a cost-benefit analysis, the very concept contradicts the US belief in the right to health care. Other industrialized countries currently ration health care through a National Health Insurance Plan. Points out that, in the USA, individual states are beginning to consider health care rationing to combat shrinking budgets and increasing demand for services.

Using personal experience and recommendations from other users in compiling a selection of reviews, provides a taste of the diversity of resources available on the World Wide Web, looking at sites to visit and detailing what each site has to offer. Covers information sources, journals, management development, networking, skills and directories.

Seeks to throw light on both strategic and managerial aspects of the post of medical director. The medical director is a key executive member of the Trust Board, yet the role remains ill-defined. The existing published guidance gives some indication of what medical directors should be doing but gives limited information about "best practice" or how to cope with the demands being made on them. A survey of medical directors in 1994 revealed the diversity of the tasks that they can be called on to perform, often with inadequate managerial and secretarial support. The survey also indicated that problems have occurred as a result of the heavy workload and unexpected multiple facets of the role. Concludes that, to make the job somewhat easier, there should be a clear core job specification which is tailored to suit the individual circumstances. This should be combined with generous support and training, together with a suitable reward package.

Multi-skilling has been the most enduring element of patient-focused care in the UK. A recent report from the Manchester University Health Service Management Unit (HSMU) extended the multi-skilling debate and offered a framework for changing National Health Service workforce policy along multi-skilling lines. Examines the main HSMU issues in the light of broader empirical and other evidence. Assesses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to multi-skilling. Concludes that multi-skilling protagonists still face a number of challenges.

The development of NHS trusts has been a major part of the NHS reforms in the United Kingdom. The creation of trust boards has coincided with significant pressures from the combined forces for change and consolidation within publicly financed health care in the UK. The development of a long term strategic vision for trusts to ensure long-term survival is imperative. Considers evidence from international researchers and translates this into the context of NHS trusts. Discusses how they define and identify vision and ensure that vision building can be communicated and understood by key stakeholders within and outside the organization. Offers several practical suggestions on how their vision can be monitored and evaluated within the organization.

The reconfiguration of the supply side of the National Health Service (NHS) has stimulated an extensive debate about the need to merge NHS Trusts to maintain viable organizations. The result has been a number of mergers across the UK. Considers the underlying advantages of mergers and their drawbacks and argues that consideration must be made to addressing the long-term strategic direction of an organization rather than regarding mergers as ends in themselves. Undertakes an appraisal of alliances and joint partnerships as alternatives to merger. Considers the conditions necessary to create effective alliances and joint partnerships and the factors which will sustain them. Appraises these requirements in the context of the NHS Trusts, in which little detailed work has been undertaken on classifying, understanding and developing what effective alliances mean for these organizations.