I will drive out NHS managers who ‘cover up’ mistakes, says Health Minister Karin Smyth

As a former NHS manager, I understand the immense responsibility that comes with leading our healthcare services and supporting our clinicians to care for patients.

I’ve seen the difference that first-rate leadership makes to improving the quality and safety of care and building and maintaining public trust.

But I am also painfully aware of the tragic consequences of management failures, especially when they are not acted upon.

Because when management or leadership fails, it’s not just an administrative issue – it affects real people, real families, real lives. Just as doctors and nurses are held accountable by regulators for their care, so too should NHS managers.

Sunday Express readers will rightly expect that when an NHS manager commits an act of misconduct that endangers patients, it is acted upon as swiftly. So it might be a shock that there is no such regulation and accountability in place for those at the top of the NHS. Bank managers are regulated more than hospital managers.

The truth is that the processes for stopping a failed manager leaving one trust in disgrace, only to pop up in another months later, are shamefully weak.

There is no legal obligation for managers to be honest when things have gone wrong.

That needs to change. We will bring this merry-go-round of failure to an end.

The job of NHS leaders couldn’t be more serious. When they get it right, lives are saved. When they fall short, the consequences can be tragic.

The reforms we announced last week recognised that. It set great NHS leaders free of the shackles of burdensome bureaucracy, and will allow them to keep innovating and improving their service for patients. But where parts of the NHS are persistently failing, this government won’t turn a blind eye like the did.

We will shine a light on those areas where a culture of cover-up persists, where whistleblowers are silenced, and where protecting reputation is prioritised over protecting patients.

When things go wrong, managers should always be honest and transparent about what has happened but all too often patients and their families are left feeling leaders are not properly held to account for their actions or that people raising legitimate concerns are not being heard.

This isn’t about creating a climate of fear where managers feel terrified of the consequences if an issue arises. I know the vast majority of my former colleagues are dedicated, skilled professionals who put patients first. This is about driving up standards for everyone and recognising that sunlight is the best disinfectant.

I’ve experienced the NHS as a manager and a patient so when we say it’s broken, I know that’s true. Now as a health minister, I’m responsible for helping to fix it.

Working in the NHS is a privilege – the rewards for success and the consequences for failure or misconduct must match the gravity of the role. It’s only right that those at the top of NHS organisations also face real consequences for the vitally important work that they do and I know most will welcome it as long as it comes with the necessary support and development.

We’re providing that by establishing a college of executive and clinical leadership, to help train and develop excellent NHS leaders and by bringing in Sir Gordon Messenger, to help us attract the brightest and best. Because as Lord Darzi said in his review; “for the NHS to have better leaders, it needs to continue to invest in them.”

We can’t make the changes the NHS needs without its leaders either, this needs to be a joint effort. We need their views, because they see first-hand what’s great in the NHS, but also what isn’t working.

By working together on this bold package of reforms we can make sure we have those brilliant leaders right across the NHS and together, we can put our 10 Year Health Plan into action.