How to get ahead in ... NHS interim management

How to get ahead in ... NHS interim management Opportunities are opening up in the 'buoyant' market for those with a private sector background

The Francis and Keogh reports, which highlighted the need to put quality of care in the NHS back centre stage, are creating new opportunities for interim managers, it has emerged. Trusts are beginning to look for interims with both clinical expertise and experience of transformation to help identify how to create high-quality patient care.

The current NHS interim recruitment market, described as "buoyant" and "busy" by some specialist recruiters, still has vacancies for experienced senior managers with financial acumen. But they say the tradition of the NHS preferring to take on interims with exclusive NHS experience may start to disappear – opening up the door for those with a background in the private sector.

David Hunter head of public sector for Interim Partners says: "In general terms the broader public services have been receptive to bringing in people from the commercial world, especially if they have moved between the sectors.

But it's still fair to say that if you are looking at health, they like their "own grown people". But that could change with the government's desire to merge health and social care because, according to Hunter, local government is "more receptive" to bringing in people from outside local government.

Michael Younger, healthcare sector lead for specialist interim recruiters Penna, has noticed NHS trusts starting to respond to the Francis report and the report by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, national medical director, for the NHS in England, which looked at the quality of care in 14 trusts with higher than average patient mortality rates. Both reports called for a change in NHS culture away from focusing on financial targets to one where quality of patient care is the priority.

Younger says: "We have seen an increased demand for interim clinical specialists and clinical leaders to transform how patient care is delivered ... or to deliver organisational change with clinicians at the centre. There are some very capable people [available] who have started off as clinicians and moved into leadership roles at director and board level. These sorts of roles are starting now to trickle through." Interims can also be an attractive alternative to more expensive management consultants.

Younger adds: "I am hearing more and more that trusts are looking for alternatives to using management consultants to support change. This is a good sign for the interim management market, as we have long been talking to the NHS about how they can access proven strength and experience within a more cost effective model."

Simon Law however, founder of Morgan Law, who describes the current recruitment market as "stable" says it is looking for interims with HR, project management, commissioning or financial skills.

Interims with "change management" and "transformation" experience on their CV are likely to be snapped up in the present climate, according to Hunter: "People who have experience in that space are continuing to be in demand."

But across the board there are more interims available than vacancies. His advice? "In the current market interims need to consider what it is they can offer – what is the itch that the clients can scratch. What solution do you present?"

Interim rates of pay appear to be peaking at £1,200 a day for NHS chief executive or medical director roles, while other director interim posts are more likely to attract a rate of around £500 to £600 a day or sometimes between £800 to £900, according to Younger. "It depends though on how long the work is and for what organisation."

There is also a new trend, says Younger, of taking on interims on a "call up contract" where an interim is brought in to support and offer expertise and advice to existing NHS staff. Other new models are also emerging such as taking on an interim team with mixed skills to deliver a specific project.

Younger also predicts that in the next 12 months some clinical commissioning groups will face mergers, which will create a demand for interims with experience of configuring NHS organisations. Similar mergers could also be on the horizon for some trusts attempting to become foundation trusts which will require a similar expertise, he predicts.

Guardian Professional