New development: Clinicians in management—past, present, future?

IMPACT

This article will be of value to health policy-makers, care regulators, service leaders and professional bodies who are collectively grappling with how best to ensure that governance structures and procedures are more effective in detecting and responding to the signs of variable care quality. Specifically, it supports and extends a growing body of evidence showing that greater involvement of healthcare professionals in senior management is positively associated with increased care quality and safety. It looks at the recent research supporting these ideas and outlines new directions for future research and practices development.

ABSTRACT

There is growing evidence that greater involvement of healthcare professionals in the governance of care organizations is positively associated with increased care quality and safety. Recent research further suggests that a critical mass of doctors can help senior management in delivering on their governance responsibilities. Prompted by a recent article in Public Money & Management by Kirkpatrick et al. (2023), this article looks at the past, present and future of clinical involvement in healthcare management. As well as locating this growing body of research in wider social science debates, it outlines a number of potential lines for future enquiry.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinicians
• doctors
• hybrids
• management
• performance
• quality
• safety

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Justin Waring

Justin Waring is Professor of Medical Sociology at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, UK. His research focuses on the changing organization and governance of health and care systems, especially the impact of change in the social organization of professional work, cultures and identities. Much of his research examines the relationships between professionals and managers and how these can stimulate or stymie change.