Health Service Manager
What is the work like?
Health service managers are responsible for making sure a hospital, or other health organisation, runs efficiently and effectively. Their aim is to provide patients and other users with the best possible service, given the available facilities, finance and staff.
As a health service manager, your duties could include:
- supervising staff and taking responsibility for the work they do
- dealing with day-to-day operational matters
- using statistical information to monitor performance and help with long term planning
- setting and maintaining budgets
- creating and carrying out the company objectives
- implementing the policies of the board, making sure government guidelines are followed
- working with clinical staff and other professionals
- managing contracts.
Your role could range from chief executive of a large hospital to manager of a GP surgery. You could also be a manager within the ambulance service, community health service (Primary Care Trust) or a strategic health authority (local NHS headquarters, monitoring service and performance of local NHS Trusts).
Alternatively, you could specialise in an area such as personnel and finance, or clinical, therapeutic or technical support.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
There are a number of ways you could get into health service management. The most direct route is through one of the NHS graduate trainee schemes. To get onto a scheme, you will need a degree (minimum grade 2:2) or an equivalent qualification in a health or management related subject. Check the training and development section below for more information.
Alternative routes into health service management include:
- working your way up from an administrative post by taking in-service training courses such as those run by the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) – to start as an administrator you are likely to need four or five GCSEs (grade A-C) and possibly A levels
- applying directly to the NHS for a junior management position – for this you will usually need a degree plus management experience
- joining the NHS through the 18-month fast-track 'Gateway to Leadership' programme, which provides rapid progression to senior management posts – you will need a degree plus substantial experience at senior management level or in complex project management
- taking an in-service training programme leading to a Certificate or Diploma in Managing Health and Social Care – for this you will usually need to be working within the NHS in a clinical role (or a profession related to health).
See the IHM website and NHS Careers for more details of schemes, training programmes and alternative qualifications.
What further training and development can I do?
Your training will vary depending on the route you take to become a health service manager. Joining on an NHS graduate scheme, your training could involve:
- (on a General Management Training Scheme) a three-month period working outside the NHS with another healthcare organisation and studying for a qualification like a Masters in Health and Public Leadership
- (on a Financial Management Scheme) working towards a professional accountancy qualification, such as CIMA or CIPFA
- (on a Human Resources Management Scheme) studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources and graduate membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
- (on a Health Informatics Scheme) developing creative ways to use IT to improve patient and working towards a postgraduate qualification in Health Informatics.
These programmes take between two and three years to complete and combine work experience with theoretical study. Check the NHS Graduate Scheme website for details.
When you have been working as a manager for around two years, you can apply to become a member of the IHM, which will give you access to a range of professional development opportunities.
Similar schemes for both general and financial management are run in Wales (Leadership Development Scheme) and Northern Ireland (Health and Social Services Management Scheme).
Where can I go for more information?
London
SE1 7QZ
Tel: 020 7620 1030
Bristol
BS99 3EY
Tel: 0845 606 0655
If you would like to discuss your career options with a learning adviser, call us on 0800 100 900 or use our online enquiry form
Alternatively, you can visit our website at: www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice
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What salary and other benefits can I expect?
- Trainees on a graduate scheme may earn around £20,000 a year.
- Heads of department can earn up to £75,000.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
What are the hours and working conditions?
You would usually work around 37 hours a week, however, at times you may need to work longer hours to meet deadlines. Job share arrangements are sometimes possible.
If you work in a hospital with a 24-hour service, you may need to work a shift system or an on-call, out-of-hours rota to cover emergencies.
You will be based mainly in an office, with some occasional travel for meetings, training courses and conferences.
What skills and knowledge will I need?
- a flexible approach with the ability to cope with constant change
- good problem solving skills
- financial management and maths skills for budget control and cost analysis
- strong written and spoken communication skills
- the ability to give presentations and deal with the press
- the ability to motivate others to meet deadlines
- leadership skills
- good negotiation skills
- the ability to explain complex issues clearly to a wide range of audiences
- a good understanding of issues surrounding confidentiality
- the ability to deal with stress.
What opportunities are there?
You could work in the NHS or private healthcare sector. You could also be based in the community, for example with larger GP practices or in a health centre, working for a Primary Care Trust commissioning local health services.
With experience and when you have completed training such as the Finance Management Scheme or the General Management Scheme, you could progress to a senior management post. You may also find opportunities overseas.
Jobs in this area may decrease in the future as many NHS hospitals are now part of a larger trust with a flatter management structure.
You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading: (links open in new window) NHS Jobs
A-Z list of NHS Trusts
NHS Professionals
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