MEDICINE BALLS
Deep freeze
VERY senior managers at the worst-performing NHS trusts and integrated care boards will not receive annual pay rises from this year, the government has announced. This seems like a blunt tool that could make the toughest jobs even less attractive.
If a trust is underperforming because of pisspoor management, replace or retrain the managers. If a trust is underperforming because of chronic understaffing, outdated and dangerous infrastructure and unremitting demand in an area of high deprivation, punishment is likely to be less productive than encouragement. But it does generally play well in the media.