Sixth report from the Select Committee on Estimates : together with the minutes of evidence taken before sub-committee D and appendices, session 1956-1957: Running costs of hospitals.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Estimates
Date:
[1957]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sixth report from the Select Committee on Estimates : together with the minutes of evidence taken before sub-committee D and appendices, session 1956-1957: Running costs of hospitals. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    99/448 page 77
    19 February, 1957.] [Continued. Chairman.] | think that point has been made. Mrs. Hill. 719. 1 have one further question on that. Apart from going to the university, are they going out to separate hospitals as well for practical experience? (Mr. Gibbon.) Yes, there is only one year out of the three which is an academic year. The other two years are entirely in the field. I am not sure exactly how the Administrative Staff College are working their arrangement, but the Man- chester University has appointed a peripatetic tutor who visits these students wherever they may be. Chairman. 720. I do not think we can afford the time to explain the scheme. The point is, it is a voluntary scheme and comes from the gumption of the Manchester Board? (Mr. Agnew.) The one which Manchester University is interested in is a national scheme. 721. You have first call on it?———(Mr. Gibbon.) It has nothing to do with us at all. (Mr. Agnew.) The other scheme will be, if it goes through, a Manchester Regional Board scheme. 722. The more junior posts in the administrative service are just ad hoc appointments with no probability of pro- motion? That is the point of this Manchester scheme, if I may call it that. It is to give prospects to these younger people who are now, say, on grade D, E or F. It is to give them more pros- pects and chances of getting out and getting a better job within the Region. 723. It is purely Regional? (Mr. Gibbon.) I think it is just as well to men- tion this. It is probably already within the knowledge of members of the Com- mittee that the Minister of Health has recently appointed Mr. Noel Hall, the Principal of the Administrative Staff College at Henley, to undertake an inves- tigation of the whole grading and salary structure of the Hospital Administrative Service. Most people connected with hospital administration are hoping that out of this will come a much more attractive service for the intelligent, well- educated and ambitious young man. 724. On a national basis? Yes. 39949 725. Thank you very much; that has been most interesting. Following up What you said about an hour ago, you said that when you found something was wrong with an H.M.C. What sort of things do you find wrong? (Mr. Agnew.) The Chairman might be having trouble with a particular member. 726. You mean personal relationships? ——Yes, mostly. 727. I know it is very difficult to have. a yardstick with regard to efficiency in the running of the Hospital Service. What points do you look out for? I am thinking particularly of the financial angle. What points do you look out for in making up your mind whether a hospital is run efficiently? From the financial aspect we can see it in front of us in black and white. ‘Their state- ments come in once a month, and we can tell at a glance if an H.M.C. is being run economically. 728. How do you do it? I agree you can see whether they are overspending or not? If we allocate the money reasonably and fairly, as we really believe we do, then if an H.M.C. badly overspends, J maintain that the H.M.C. is being extravagant. 729. I am asking you whether you have any criteria by which you can judge whether a hospital is run efficiently? We know from the cost. We can tell at a glance exactly what a similar thing costs in hospital A and in hospital B, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 miles away. 730. There has been talk about a new costing system. You have your own costing system, have you? It is not a costing system, exactly—(Mr. Jones.) There is a national costing system in Operation at the moment. It is referred to, actually, as the National Hospital Costing Returns, published by the Ministry of Health for every hospital in the country. They are purely compara- tive figures. 731. Yes, we have those? The Board examine these each year in great detail and where there are large dis- crepancies between the costs of a hospital one year compared with another year— or between the costs of one hospital compared with the average costs of its type—they ask the Management Com- mittees why ; will they enquire into them, submit to them the reasons, causes and Dp?
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3