08 February 2008
NHS board leaders must not waver if their organisations are to avoid failure, the Healthcare Commission said this week.
The watchdog carried out 14 investigations from August 2004 to October 2007, prompted by claims of serious breakdowns in health care provision. An analysis of these investigations found poor leadership was common in boards that were concentrating on other matters, such as a merger. Other problems included inadequate communication and a lack of teamwork.
Commission chief executive Anna Walker said NHS organisations must learn from these investigations. 'Good leadership means not taking your eye off any aspects of the trust's activities… This means ensuring staff are encouraged to speak up about concerns,' she insisted.
The commission was surprised that many boards did not have systems in place to ensure that vital information, such as rates of infection and measures of quality of care, was communicated.
NHS Confederation chief executive Gill Morgan said serious failure was 'relatively rare'.
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