Earlier this month, the government announced plans to overhaul the NHS, with the aims of cutting bureaucracy and waste, while increasing efficiency and most importantly improving the standard of patient care.
It sounds like a tall order, particularly given the level of jobs cuts anticipated and tough timescales which will see the roll out completed by April 2013.
Central to the changes will be newly formed GP consortia, which will take on responsibility for budgets, developing and coordinating the shape of patient services and commissioning external contracts and support.
There are concerns over whether GPs have the skills and inclination to drive these changes through, particularly while they are under continuing pressure to increase efficiency.
Are these concerns justified?
GPs are bright people with a multitude of academic qualifications and the ability to take on new information throughout their career. So the idea and habit for updating knowledge and skills is unlikely to be a shock to their systems.
There may however be a question mark over whether they have the motivation, personality and behaviours for the new responsibilities. Some may not find it interesting and will prefer to take a specialist role, while some will find the transition process harder to cope with.
At the same time, there will be others who will relish the opportunity to take a more prominent decision-making role in a dynamic and changing workplace.
What personality traits will be important?
While it is unclear exactly what the new structure will mean for the role of the GP, this lack of clarity is, in itself, indicative of the skills needed to succeed.
Having the skills and personality associated with managing change will be important, being comfortable with helping shape the future direction of the organisation and the ability to bring others with you. The creativity to come up with new solutions and having the evaluative skills to critique those ideas will also be important.
We also know that government intends to cut bureaucracy, giving doctors a more direct role in financial decisions about the best course of treatment. This means GPs will take on responsibility for a broader set of decisions that impact on a wider group of individuals.
Those who can present a convincing case, take action in line with the vision, inspire people and overcome barriers will be better able to succeed in this changing environment.
Right people, right roles
Talent management processes and psychometric assessments can be deployed to define leadership requirements and then identify leadership potential in current employees – this will help identify those most likely to succeed while also showing how and where training and development should be focussed.
It is unlikely that every GP will take on significant managerial or leadership responsibilities, or will want to. It would be useful to recognise the starting point of the medical professionals, eg specialists, and define the desired future state, eg corporate leaders.
With this model the NHS could deploy talent assessments to identify those most suited to the new roles and responsibilities.
The future
It seems clear that many people will lose their jobs and while we naturally want to ensure the wellbeing of those made redundant, those who remain and continue to work for the NHS will also experience stress and uncertainty, surrounded by fear of the future and guilt of survival, evidenced by an inability to focus on one's job.
The NHS must ensure the survivors are nurtured, reassured and supported through the impending change. If this is ignored, not only will the success of the change programme be compromised, but it will in all likelihood damage the health of those it employs as well.
Ray Glennon is a business solutions manager for SHL
From Bubb's Blog
From Whitehall Watch
