Back-office staff have a role to play in improving NHS care too

Back-office staff have a role to play in improving NHS care too Too often dismissed as pen-pushers or bureaucrats, non-clinical staff can make a significant contribution to patient care, as a project in Northumbria demonstrates

For many years, NHS managers and corporate staff have been characterised in the press as pointless “pen-pushers” or “faceless bureaucrats” – to the point where it has become conventional wisdom that tackling waste must require another round of back-office cuts.

Few would disagree that the design and delivery of our health services should be led by the needs of people who use them, or that frontline staff should be empowered to deliver effective care. But something that gets said far too rarely is that this can be enhanced by harnessing the skill and commitment of corporate staff in multi-professional teams. Continue reading... The Guardian