The consultation launched yesterday by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on regulating NHS managers in England is an important step in supporting improvements in leadership and management in the NHS.
As the consultation acknowledges, successive inquiries have identified a need for professional standards for NHS leaders and managers. In our view, a successful approach will increase accountability and also provide support and development opportunities to help managers lead the NHS into the future and deliver the 10 Year Health Plan. We welcome the opportunity to consider how regulation can support this work.
The PSA is pleased to see that the DHSC is seeking, in line with our Right-touch regulation approach, to determine the type of regulation that may be most appropriate for managers. We think it will be important to consider, as part of this, how consistency of professional standards across the range of clinical and non-clinical manager roles that are potentially within scope can be achieved.
We were pleased to note the open questions about how the proposals can also help to improve candour when care has gone wrong, and how this might link with accountability mechanisms for leaders. As we highlighted in our response to the review of the statutory (organisational) duty of candour, the distinction with the professional duty is not well understood, and the two should be considered together if things are to improve.
We will continue to work closely with the DHSC and NHS England on these issues as well as providing a formal response to the consultation. In this way, we hope to be able to contribute to the development of a proportionate and effective regulatory framework focused on public protection.
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the Editor
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees 10 statutory bodies that regulate health and social care professionals in the UK.
- We assess their performance and report to Parliament. We also conduct audits and investigations and can appeal fitness to practise cases to the courts if we consider that sanctions are insufficient to protect the public and it is in the public interest.
- We also set standards for organisations holding registers for health and social care occupations and accredit those that meet them and continue to meet them.
- We share good practice and knowledge, conduct research and introduce new ideas to our sector. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally and provide advice on issues relating to professional standards in health and social care.
- We do this to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of users of health and social care services and the public. We are an independent body, accountable to the UK Parliament.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.
- More information about our work and the approach we take is available at www.professionalstandards.org.uk