Reply to: What's so special about NHS?

[Liability]

Indeed, the NPfIT service is getting better by the day, and some of the folks I work with (NPfIT Manager for Service Delivery in our Local PCT) are clued up cookies who have come in from the private sector and are bringing their experience with them.

In the 3 years I have been working alongside the NPfIT Teams (and occasionally been seconded to them for technical assistance in my own specialist area), I've seen the service improve considerably.

It's not all doom and gloom you know !

Id estimate that by April of next year alot of the changes will start to filter down.

What is really sad is that it took them HOW MANY years to recognise that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys? There are still some old school people left at the top - but I would suspect they will be sidelined by mid to end of next year as its now about VALUE - although that is a joke in itself bearing in mind how much money was been wasted on this project to date.

[al_cam]

In my experience, PM'ing in the NHS is much harder than in the public sector - have to achieve the same results with less resources, much red tape and inefficiency, no strategy, plans etc etc.

If I were hiring a PM for an NHS project, I would seriously consider picking someone who could demonstrate they could deliver within the NHS - lesser PM's would either not deliver or just walk - for example, I am the second PM on my current NHS project - previous guy walked without delivering much, and at times it wouldn't have taken much for me to follow him...

That said, I would also be looking for a PM with real life experience as well otherwise you risk hiring someone with no concept of how things should be done.

Al.

[Purple Dalek]

The project’s completely fooked and the big consultancies are making so much money out of keeping the problems in place instead of solving them that bringing in people with new, fresh ideas would only derail the gravy train.

Moderators! This guy is pointing out the painfully obvious in General. I suggest a weekend ban.

[Board Game Geek]

Indeed, the NPfIT service is getting better by the day, and some of the folks I work with (NPfIT Manager for Service Delivery in our Local PCT) are clued up cookies who have come in from the private sector and are bringing their experience with them.

In the 3 years I have been working alongside the NPfIT Teams (and occasionally been seconded to them for technical assistance in my own specialist area), I've seen the service improve considerably.

It's not all doom and gloom you know !

[Liability]

Funny because I was speaking to some agencies just this week asking the same question "If they only recruit previous NHS people, how do you ever break into it? And how did they ever break into it?".. is there just a small group of NHS experts who get all the £1000/day contracts for advising on 'the way forward'?

This is true and has been for a while.

But if you take a look now - particularly over the past 12 months they have grown up and brought in totally external people. Hence the delay and re-neg on London LSP once Fujitsu got booted, and numerous other things.

[chris79]

Funny because I was speaking to some agencies just this week asking the same question "If they only recruit previous NHS people, how do you ever break into it? And how did they ever break into it?".. is there just a small group of NHS experts who get all the £1000/day contracts for advising on 'the way forward'?

[Liability]

An open question but one thats been bugging me for ages..

Why in nearly every advert for an NHS PM position do I see that the candidate must have previous NHS PCT experience.

I realise that clients want PM's with previous experiene in a certain area but the whole point of being a PM is bringing the previous experience you have to the project in hand.

What is so special about NHS??

Not sure how many that have commented on this actually are aware of how the NHS IT [and parts around it] work but times are changing - THAT I can tell you.

The current round of Contract negotiations for the LSP NHS IT Programme are EXTREMELY tough and sided. None of the consultancies will be making large amounts of money which they may have done 2-3 years ago.

CfH is actually pulling it's finger out and the CTO of it is actually a smart cookie and is putting people and roles in place that will make a significant impact in the months and years ahead. For key roles [even Perm] salaries are now on part with Private sector [Yep!].

Having been with one of the providers for a good year - I can tell you that the knowledge, approach and delivery of this particular company was the most appauling I have seen. However it does not stop here - majority of the service providers are total tulipe.

Now is not the time for the Government to keep sitting back as it has FINALLY realised that...well..we need value! A joke that may sound to some people - but they have started the ball rolling and things are changing....but it will not be quick.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

The perception of people who have worked in the NHS is that they have no understanding of the concept of delivering according to needs of either business or customers. There is no culture of responsibility and there is no concept of urgency or time.

So for a commercial enterprise to hire people from a cultural background that consists of avoiding responsibility, taking time off work and political manoeuvering is a big risk.

Dodgy - for once I agree 100%.

[Incognito]

As a measure of how bloated (and therefore necessarily inefficient) the NHS is, it is now the 3rd largest employer in the world after the Chinese Army and the Indian railways.
And all it succeeds in doing is providing a rather mediocre health service to a medium sized European country.

To any thinking person it is clear that the UK is doomed long term if it carries on its present policies.

Don't always believe everything you read in the times guru.

Walmart makes it number 4.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

An open question but one thats been bugging me for ages..

Why in nearly every advert for an NHS PM position do I see that the candidate must have previous NHS PCT experience.

I realise that clients want PM's with previous experiene in a certain area but the whole point of being a PM is bringing the previous experience you have to the project in hand.

What is so special about NHS??

Pretty common in the tulipe er I mean public sector. At councils and other places you actually get credit for knowing the stupid and crap ways that they work which makes it very difficult for anyone not versed in their awful procedures to get in. No doubt the NHS is the same.

[sasguru]

As a measure of how bloated (and therefore necessarily inefficient) the NHS is, it is now the 3rd largest employer in the world after the Chinese Army and the Indian railways.
And all it succeeds in doing is providing a rather mediocre health service to a medium sized European country.

To any thinking person it is clear that the UK is doomed long term if it carries on its present policies.

[Pogle]

The perception of people who have worked in the NHS is that they have no understanding of the concept of delivering according to needs of either business or customers. There is no culture of responsibility and there is no concept of urgency or time.

I have to agree, that was my experience when I had a contract in the NHS. I did say I'd never go back, but at the moment needs must and they seem to be the only ones hiring!

[badger7579]

Look I didnt copy the previous post

Sounds like an area to steer well clear of unless you want to work in the same environment for the rest of your life..

[DodgyAgent]

The perception of people who have worked in the NHS is that they have no understanding of the concept of delivering according to needs of either business or customers. There is no culture of responsibility and there is no concept of urgency or time.

So for a commercial enterprise to hire people from a cultural background that consists of avoiding responsibility, taking time off work and political manoeuvering is a big risk.

[oracleslave]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but is there a word for pasting the entire contents of a long thread into your own post, then adding just a brief comment to it? Surely you don't always have to copy the OP or a long response in your own post.
I'm not having a go at anyone, and frankly I won't lose any sleep over it, just wondered if there was a word that I can match to this minor irritation?

Anal?
Pedantic?