Personnel

Abstract

1. The NHS is by any comparison a big employer. About 1¼ million people are directly employed in running the hospital and community health services in the United Kingdom (the whole time equivalent—WTE—being just over 1 million: see Table 1). Paying for the staff takes up approximately 75 per cent of the revenue budget (1986–1987 total revenue budget for the UK hospital and community health services, that is excluding family practitioner committees, was just over £13.1 billion). The range of occupations and professions found within the NHS is probably the widest of any organisation worldwide. The Korner report on manpower information published in 1984 stated that ‘the organisation spanned about 5,000 different combinations of grade and areas of work’. Apart from doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, medical laboratory scientific officers, porters, cleaners, catering staff and others which we would generally expect to find, there are architects, engineers, planners, electricians, biochemists, physiological measurement technicians, venepuncturists, computer staff, accountants, personnel managers, general managers and many more. With three-quarters of the cost of the NHS going on staff and only one-quarter being spent on buildings, materials, energy etc., effective and efficient management of the NHS is primarily about the effective and efficient management of staff.