A key conference gets underway in Aberdeen today (November 18) to discuss ways of tackling what has been called a hidden risk to health – poor health organisation and management.
Around 70 health services managers, policy makers, senior clinicians and academics from across Scotland are attending the University of Aberdeen organised event which will share the latest thinking on the best ways to manage and deliver health care.
The line up of speakers includes Professor Andrew Pettigrew who will be involved in advising on the implementation of the review by Lord Darzi of the NHS in England, and Dr John Øvretveit from the Karolinska Institutet whose work is based on the belief that organisation and management can bring out the best and worst in people.
The chairs include David Steel, Chief Executive of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, Alison Spaull, who leads the research funding division of the Scottish Government Health Directorate and Richard Carey, Chief Executive of NHS Grampian.
Lorna McKee, Professor of Management Studies within the University's Health Services Research Unit, is one of the organisers of the event which is also being held in association with the Health Organisation Research Network - a collaboration of researchers from the Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
She said: "The event has proven to be exceptionally popular – we had to have a waiting list because we had to cap numbers.
"But the high demand for places demonstrates the need and desire for greater engagement between all those involved in researching and managing health care organisations.
"This conference will provide a forum for productive engagement between health care managers, clinicians, researchers, funding bodies and health care quality support agencies."
The conference Making Connections and Building Bridges: Mobilising Organisational Research into Service Delivery takes place at Linklater Rooms, King's College Campus.