Analyse the significance of strategic management and performance
measurements in NHS hospitals to highlight the efficiency and
effectiveness, and the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit.
The national health service is the largest public service within the UK and
to be able to measure whether the service is efficient and effective,
performance measurement assists in demonstrating if patients are being
treated with the highest quality of care. Strategic management is
necessary in hospitals to ensure the organisation is being effective and
analysing the plans within hospitals is key in knowing whether or not
there needs to be improvements in the leadership roles. In this paper, the
hospitals that will be focussed on will be, the NUH (Nottingham University
Hospitals) Trust which includes the Queens medical centre and
Nottingham city hospital. The Nottingham city hospitals specialises in
cancer and stroke treatments, whereas the Queens medical centre is a
training hospital for nurses and medical students, and also includes the
emergency department, both hospitals will be analysed in this essay
through the effects of COVID-19 and Brexit. Whilst being the largest
hospital trust in the East Midlands, it is essential for both hospitals to
have their performance measured often, in order to indicate any
improvements they may require and to have a strong strategic
management in place to ensure patients are getting the treatment and
care they need.
Regulations measure how organisations perform and if they are meeting
their ‘standard national level’, as they are important in overviewing NHS
hospitals and they do this by taking out inspections within the hospital.
The body of regulators in the health sector are, the care quality
commission (CQC), the health commission and the commission for health.
These inspections by the 3 health regulators are essential in making sure
‘services are providing care that’s safe, caring, effective, responsive to
people’s needs and well-led’ (Cqc.org.uk, 2018). Although, regulators are
useful insuring that hospitals, such as the Queens medical centre, are
, keeping a high quality of care it could be argued that they are not as
efficient in regulating organisations due to ‘quality’ being subjective as
individuals have different expectations of ‘quality of care’.
Additionally, surveys are method used by patients and doctors to review
how their experience was within the hospital and guide further assistance
on how hospitals can improve to be more efficient and effective. This
method of measuring performance could be argued more effective as it is
“one way to understand what service users think about their recent care
and treatment” (Statistics, 2018) rather than meeting requirements set
by regulators. In addition, surveys factor in the ‘value’ of care each
individual experienced, reflecting on how many patients have similar
expectations of ‘value’ of care within the hospitals. As each patient will
experience their own unique time at the hospital in different departments,
this allows hospitals such as the QMC to see which areas need improving
in order to achieve high quality of care.
Strategy
The term ‘strategy’ is subjective as it has many different meanings in the
business world and is perceived by many professors in opposite
viewpoints. Steiner’s (a professor of management) takes the view that for
strategy to be successful in an organisation is needs to be planned
thoroughly, “strategy is that which top management does that is of great
importance to the organisation” (Nickols, 2012). On the other hand,
Mintzberg (a Canadian professor) views ‘strategy’ as a perspective
depending on the economic situation as “it emerges over time” and
“accommodates a changing reality” (Nickols, 2012). Despite, the different
viewpoints on the term ‘strategy’, the focus is on how strategic
management within the NHS can be effective which is indicated by an
online article ‘the Guardian’, ‘Barriers to making effective government
strategy’ (Cavanagh, 2011). Cavanagh lists within this article key points
as to why strategy in the public sector has failed previously, for example,
measurements in NHS hospitals to highlight the efficiency and
effectiveness, and the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit.
The national health service is the largest public service within the UK and
to be able to measure whether the service is efficient and effective,
performance measurement assists in demonstrating if patients are being
treated with the highest quality of care. Strategic management is
necessary in hospitals to ensure the organisation is being effective and
analysing the plans within hospitals is key in knowing whether or not
there needs to be improvements in the leadership roles. In this paper, the
hospitals that will be focussed on will be, the NUH (Nottingham University
Hospitals) Trust which includes the Queens medical centre and
Nottingham city hospital. The Nottingham city hospitals specialises in
cancer and stroke treatments, whereas the Queens medical centre is a
training hospital for nurses and medical students, and also includes the
emergency department, both hospitals will be analysed in this essay
through the effects of COVID-19 and Brexit. Whilst being the largest
hospital trust in the East Midlands, it is essential for both hospitals to
have their performance measured often, in order to indicate any
improvements they may require and to have a strong strategic
management in place to ensure patients are getting the treatment and
care they need.
Regulations measure how organisations perform and if they are meeting
their ‘standard national level’, as they are important in overviewing NHS
hospitals and they do this by taking out inspections within the hospital.
The body of regulators in the health sector are, the care quality
commission (CQC), the health commission and the commission for health.
These inspections by the 3 health regulators are essential in making sure
‘services are providing care that’s safe, caring, effective, responsive to
people’s needs and well-led’ (Cqc.org.uk, 2018). Although, regulators are
useful insuring that hospitals, such as the Queens medical centre, are
, keeping a high quality of care it could be argued that they are not as
efficient in regulating organisations due to ‘quality’ being subjective as
individuals have different expectations of ‘quality of care’.
Additionally, surveys are method used by patients and doctors to review
how their experience was within the hospital and guide further assistance
on how hospitals can improve to be more efficient and effective. This
method of measuring performance could be argued more effective as it is
“one way to understand what service users think about their recent care
and treatment” (Statistics, 2018) rather than meeting requirements set
by regulators. In addition, surveys factor in the ‘value’ of care each
individual experienced, reflecting on how many patients have similar
expectations of ‘value’ of care within the hospitals. As each patient will
experience their own unique time at the hospital in different departments,
this allows hospitals such as the QMC to see which areas need improving
in order to achieve high quality of care.
Strategy
The term ‘strategy’ is subjective as it has many different meanings in the
business world and is perceived by many professors in opposite
viewpoints. Steiner’s (a professor of management) takes the view that for
strategy to be successful in an organisation is needs to be planned
thoroughly, “strategy is that which top management does that is of great
importance to the organisation” (Nickols, 2012). On the other hand,
Mintzberg (a Canadian professor) views ‘strategy’ as a perspective
depending on the economic situation as “it emerges over time” and
“accommodates a changing reality” (Nickols, 2012). Despite, the different
viewpoints on the term ‘strategy’, the focus is on how strategic
management within the NHS can be effective which is indicated by an
online article ‘the Guardian’, ‘Barriers to making effective government
strategy’ (Cavanagh, 2011). Cavanagh lists within this article key points
as to why strategy in the public sector has failed previously, for example,
