Managers recruited faster than doctors and nurses

BBC analysis of official figures has revealed that English hospitals have recruited managers at a higher rate than doctors and nurses.

The data shows that an additional 3,600 managers started at NHS trusts since 2013, an increase of 16 per cent, compared with 8,300 more doctors and 7,000 more nurses, an increase of eight per cent and two per cent respectively.

Between December 2013 and December 2017 more than three quarters of NHS trusts in England increased the number of people employed as managers. In total, nine NHS trusts have more than doubled the number of managers they employ in the last five years. However, NHS Improvement has said that there were still ‘too few’ managers.

According to the BBC, the Central and North West London Trust saw the biggest increase with 253 people employed in managerial roles in 2017, compared to 95 people in 2013.

A NHS Improvement spokesman said: "Research consistently shows that rather than having too many managers, the NHS actually has too few given the complexity of delivering modern healthcare. Many of these managers will also undertake clinical work. But this is not an either/or situation. The NHS needs world-class nurses, doctors and a range of support staff in addition to excellent management to provide the best care possible."

Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Nurses on the NHS frontline will find these figures galling. The health service must be well run but it is nurses who are responsible for the vast majority of hands-on patient care. Low pay, increased pressure on the NHS and the failure to train enough nurses over a long period has contributed to today's nurse shortages.”