Health Manpower Management

Mohamed Zairi

1998 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069810207033pmid: 10346313

This paper is one of a series of three, covering very comprehensively human resource practices in a global and generic context. The series of papers presents practices which are directly of relevance to the health‐care context, and which are based on proven, effective and pioneering approaches. The first paper covers practices based on British and European experiences, gathered from world‐class organisations that have either been finalists or went on to win prestigious quality awards such as the British and European Quality Awards. The benchmarking analysis presented in this paper is based on the sub‐criteria prescribed by the European Quality Awards Model, which include: how people resources are planned and improved; how the skills and capabilities of people are preserved and developed through recruitment, training and career progression; how people and teams agree targets and continuously review performance; how the involvement of everyone in continuous improvement is prompted and people empowered to take appropriate action; how effective top‐down and bottom‐up communication is achieved.

Sue Jackson

1998 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069810207042pmid: 10346303

The new government drive for quality to be at the heart of health care is discussed, following which an insight into the membership and remit of the new European Health‐Care Working Group is given. The article also provides a brief description of the European Foundation for Quality Management model and the benefits associated with applying self‐assessment as a tool for attaining business excellence. Finally, the first stages of the work proposed by the European Health Care Working Group is highlighted along with the potential effect on health care within the UK.

Ruth Deery; Mari Phillips

1998 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069810207051pmid: 10346304

Integration of midwifery and nurse education into higher education was completed in 1996. This article highlights issues which emerged prior to, during and post‐integration. It focuses on the process itself, student support, status, titles and employment contracts of lecturers and examines these issues in relation to one model of change. The personal perceptions and reflections of the authors are based on their own experiences of integration in two institutions. The authors conclude that although lecturers are still “juggling” with their roles as lecturers in higher education, change should be embraced and viewed positively, and all opportunities for research, collaboration and professional development should be grasped.

Mark Hackett; Harry Gee

1998 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069810207060pmid: 10346305

The delivery of effective postgraduate education for doctors in trusts is becoming vital to secure the individual services of trusts. Increasingly, training requirements are impacting on the location of clinical services that NHS trusts provide. Failure to understand the benefits and drawbacks of providing postgraduate education could affect the long‐term strategic direction of trusts. The paper seeks to identify the case for investment, the need to address key deliverables to secure effective postgraduate education and the need for clinicians and managers to evaluate the effectiveness of such training for their organisations.

Galen Conant; Brian H. Kleiner

1998 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069810207079pmid: 10346306

It has been said that managing change is a synonym for managing people through change. No other industry has experienced more change in the past ten years than the health‐care industry. In order to regulate all of this change, managers in health‐care organizations must identify new ways to deal with the changes. The issues are as old as time: job satisfaction, cultural conflict, and compensation. This paper addresses each of these key issues with the following examples. A new nursing paradigm that was implemented at a hospital has significantly increased job satisfaction. This paper also takes a look at ways to manage cultural conflict in a diversified workforce. Finally, the results of a team approach to compensation are studied.

Kevin Burkin; Brian H. Kleiner

1998 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069810207088pmid: 10346307

Health‐care providers throughout the USA face litigation and the threat of litigation on a daily basis due to claims of patient abuse. Hidden within the costs associated with defending patient abuse claims are the wrongful termination filings made by employees who claim they were retaliated against for their whistleblowing activity. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate why an employer would resort to retaliatory acts in the shadow of a patient abuse filing and to discuss what steps are currently taken to prove and investigate the validity of a retaliation claim. Included within the body of this paper are court decisions on the topics of whistleblowing protection and violation of public policy. These examples are illustrated so that recommendations can be provided that assist the employer in avoiding a wrongful discharge claim and help to conclude that retaliation against the whistleblower is a costly mistake even with the employment at‐will principle as a defense.