Penny Dash\u2019s recent comments cut straight to the heart of a critical issue within the NHS: the absence of robust operational management. Her observation that adding staff has not translated into the anticipated impact is a stark reminder that people alone, without the right systems and processes, cannot untangle inefficiencies or improve outcomes.<\/p>\n
But what exactly is operational management in the NHS context? At its core, it\u2019s about ensuring that the vast resources\u2014people, time, and technology\u2014are strategically aligned to deliver the best care for patients. It\u2019s the art of transforming effort into efficiency, of turning plans into practical, measurable outcomes. It\u2019s also about creating a culture of accountability, where teams understand their roles, adapt to challenges, and continuously seek improvement.<\/p>\n
Operational management is not a glamorous term. It doesn’t grab headlines like breakthroughs in medical research or new funding announcements. Yet its absence is felt every day:<\/p>\n
These aren\u2019t isolated problems; they\u2019re symptoms of a system straining under the weight of misaligned capacity and demand. And they highlight the critical need for something often overlooked in healthcare: discipline.<\/p>\n
“Dr Dash\u2019s call for more \u2018ops managers\u2019 is a recognition that leadership matters.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Operational discipline doesn\u2019t mean rigid adherence to plans. It\u2019s about creating the flexibility to respond dynamically to real-world challenges. It\u2019s about having clear, standardised processes that still leave room for human ingenuity. It ensures the right people, in the right roles, supported by the right tools, are empowered to adapt and improve.<\/p>\n
It is something clearly missing and sorely needed. Yet as unglamorous as this work may seem, these are the hard yards that need to be made for meaningful progress.<\/p>\n
Unlocking potential through workforce planning<\/h3>\n
Workforce planning is one of the linchpins of effective operational management. Done well, it provides the foundation for aligning capacity with demand. It highlights inefficiencies and opportunities, offering clarity on how resources can best support service delivery.<\/p>\n
However, traditional approaches to workforce planning often fall short. Data may be fragmented or inconsistent, job plans may fail to reflect actual service needs, and staff often feel excluded from decision-making. The result? A process that stalls and fails to deliver the needed impact.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s needed is a shift in focus:<\/p>\n
\n
- From fragmentation to integration<\/strong>
\nWorkforce data should tell a cohesive story, not present conflicting narratives. This requires shared frameworks, clear language, and accessible tools that translate data into actionable insights.<\/li>\n- From top-down to collaborative<\/strong>
\nOperational management isn\u2019t a one-person job. It\u2019s a team effort that thrives on engagement at every level\u2014from senior leaders to frontline staff. Collaboration fosters ownership, ensuring that changes are not only implemented but embraced.<\/li>\n- From short-term fixes to long-term sustainability<\/strong>
\nQuick fixes may alleviate immediate pressures, but sustainable operational management looks ahead, anticipating future challenges and building resilience into systems and processes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nLeadership and accountability<\/h3>\n
Dr Dash\u2019s call for more \u2018ops managers\u2019 is a recognition that leadership matters. But perhaps even more critical is focusing on the processes those leaders oversee. Operational management isn\u2019t just about systems; it\u2019s about the people who run them. Effective leaders don\u2019t simply keep the cogs turning\u2014they identify inefficiencies, question the status quo, and work collaboratively to drive meaningful change.<\/p>\n
This may mean rethinking whether current processes are fit for purpose or innovating entirely new ways of working. For example, underutilised elective services or \u2018dark hours\u2019 in clinical spaces could be addressed by flexing traditional staffing models or introducing creative solutions such as cross-team task-sharing.<\/p>\n
Equally, accountability plays a pivotal role. As Paul Corrigan pointed out, the NHS must create environments where success and failure are acknowledged and acted upon. However, accountability should not equate to punitive measures like league tables. Instead, it should foster collaboration between trusts, encouraging the sharing of best practices and lessons learned. Data is crucial here\u2014not as a blunt instrument, but as a tool to illuminate areas of strength and opportunities for growth.<\/p>\n
A moment of opportunity<\/h3>\n
The challenges are clear, but so too are the opportunities. Meeting today\u2019s demand is as critical as planning for the future. Predictive analytics can help model upcoming needs and support proactive decision-making, but current demand models are just as vital. These tools allow teams to allocate resources efficiently, manage capacity in real time, and ensure patients receive timely care. Balancing immediate pressures with future-proofing is the operational challenge of our time\u2014and one that must be tackled head-on.<\/p>\n
Operational management is more than a behind-the-scenes function. When strengthened, it unlocks efficiency, empowers teams, and transforms patient care. The time to focus on \u201cops, ops, ops\u201d isn\u2019t years away; it\u2019s now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Phil Bottle, Managing Director of NHS workforce planning specialists, SARD, discusses the unsung importance of operational management to the NHS, including how effective management can be the remedy for a system straining under the weight of misaligned capacity and demand. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":5739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thought-leadership","category-workforce"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5737"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5756,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5737\/revisions\/5756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}