The Chief Executive of Healthcare Improvement Scotland describes his organisation as “a formidable armoury”.
I have often found myself wondering why healthcare leaders feel a need to use such military metaphors. I recently wrote about the “cohorts” (eleven so far) of improvement scientists that Healthcare Scotland has helped “deploy” in NHS Scotland. This approach reminded me of a Roman sacramentum.
I have increasingly found myself questioning how much this “legion” may be costing Scottish tax-payers? The “opportunity costs” might include less hands-on staffing that is necessary for good care. It seems that I am not alone in worrying about this:
I continue to be concerned about the potential for over-reliance on “tools” ; approaches which Healthcare Improvement Scotland (and IHI) heavily promote. Healthcare is not an“industry” such as engineering or manufacturing.
Those who may have read some of my writings will appreciate that I have long been concerned that “improvement science” too often reduces medical ethics and philosophy to little more than soundbites.
The Chief Executive of Healthcare Improvement Scotland kindly invites feedback. I have been one of very few to offer feedback to the HIS blogs. As yet, HIS has not engaged with me on any of my responses. Perhaps my feedback has been considered to have nothing to “add” to “improvement science”?