COVID-19 is a crisis that is disrupting societies, economies and health and social care systems. We are all trying to make sense of what is happening, what it means to us and how to respond. This is akin, perhaps, to finding oneself in a foreign land with the map of a different country. The experience […]
Latest articles
Leading wisely in the post-COVID-19 era by Dr. Ole Tjomsland and Dr. Jan Frich
Health care delivery systems and health care leaders globally are facing huge shifts in clinical services following the COVID-19 pandemic. Societal closedown has led to a decline both in acute and elective services, and hospitals have restructured services in order to manage patients with suspected COVID-19. Staff-fatigue and hospitals not designed for cohort isolation may […]
Ahead of the second wave: COVID-19 and BME staff by Roger Kline
Following on from the powerful blog “After the speeches…” that outlined actions needed to reduce discrimination, we are delighted to publish a ten part blog series by Roger Kline with suggestions on how to tackle structural racism in the NHS. At least 272 NHS staff died from COVID-19 (1). They were disproportionately of Black […]
‘Magical Meander’: What made me a medical manager?
The pressures and demands that the COVID pandemic has placed on health and care are unprecedented. Amid the suffering and loss, health and care professionals’ responses to the demands are heart-warming. Clinicians, managers, academics and policy makers joined up with thousands of volunteers to provide timely, compassionate care as a priority above all else. Team […]
How can we protect NHS BAME Staff? by Sonali Dutta-Knight
An analysis of media reports published in the Health Services Journal in April showed that 95% of the Doctors who have died from Covid-19 were from BAME backgrounds. Currently 44% of NHS doctors are identified as being BAME. To date, the NHS has not enacted a uniform, timely approach to protecting this vulnerable group of staff. […]
Effective Followership – The Holy Grail of Improved Employee Engagement? by Keith Stanton
I have always enjoyed coming across philosophical statements that encapsulate life. One of my favorites has always been “that which I am aware of I can control, that which I am unaware of controls me”. The premise that by raising awareness you can achieve a greater degree of performance has manifested itself in numerous areas […]
Evaluating Values by Rageshri Dhairyawan
As medical leaders, we are encouraged to think about our values. The Faculty of Medical Leadership and management standards for medical professionals are guided by values espoused in the Seven Principles of Public Life, which include integrity and accountability. But who and what we value is just as important as our personal values. And ideally, […]
After the speeches: what now for NHS staff race discrimination? by Roger Kline
Six years ago The Snowy White Peaks of the NHS 1 highlighted the scale of race discrimination in the NHS, the UK’s biggest employer of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) staff. COVID-19 has shown so much more needs to be done. 300 health and social care staff have died so far from COVID-19, a disproportionate number […]
Leadership and Racism in Pandemic Times by Jamiu Busari
On the 9th of June 2020, George Perry Floyd Jr. was laid to rest in Pearland, Texas. What ensued in the aftermath of his killing was a cathartic revolt to a pre-existent global pandemic. It was a pandemic that the world preferred to believe did not exist, but pervaded the inner fabric of our educational, […]
The heroic NHS immigrants: an idea that has run its course? by Saurabh Jain
In my view, Britain has always had a thorny relationship with race and immigration, and this is magnified in the NHS. The NHS has relied on migrant labour using colonial ties to fill its ranks such as nurses from the Windrush generation or doctors from the Indian subcontinent. 43% of senior NHS doctors and 47% of junior doctors are from Black, […]