By Centre for Innovation in Health Management, University of Leeds (2012)
Despite the Government’s best efforts over the last ten years to get more doctors and nurses onto the boards of NHS Trusts, this research (the first survey of its kind) has found that the boards remain dominated by non-clinicians, such as accountants and managers. Clinicians make up an average of just 26% of board members in English hospital trusts, with major variations around the country.
The research, led by Professor Ian Kirkpatrick, looks at the relationship between having doctors on the boards of trusts and patient satisfaction rates, patient morbidity rates and how highly the hospital’s management is regarded. Essentially, having more doctors on the board increases patient satisfaction rates, and lowers patient morbidity rates.