Wednesday 21 August 2013

Hospitals: human bodies?

Medical institutions must not let the drive for greater operational efficiency undermine the essential qualities necessary for organising care


an article by Dr Robert Farrands FRSA published in the RSA Journal (Summer 2013)

The Francis Report on the failure of the Mid Staffordshire hospital describes in detail a form of organisational hypertrophy: a state when some organs of the body are overnourished and grow at the expense of the whole. This condition prevails in organisations when a limited number of a rich complex of concerns and practices are singled out for special attention. As a result, the chosen aspects become vested with undue significance, while other equally important features are overlooked.

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