From 'Market Umpires' yo 'Relationship Managers'? The future of the NHS regional offices in a time of transition
- 1 January 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Public Management Review
- Vol. 4 (1) , 3-22
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14616670110101663
Abstract
This article considers the theoretical and management implications of the recent reorganization of UK cancer services on network lines in which the intermediate tier of the Regional Office (RO) has played an important implementation role. Empirical evidence drawn from the first stage of a national evaluation of the Calman-Hine report (1995) is used to explore regional approaches to the setting-up of 'cancer care networks'. The literature predicted that strategic differences between the regions would permeate the implementation process, reinforcing variations in service change. The study highlights mixed evidence to support this claim. Initially there was a pattern of organizational divergence at RO level. However, this diversity has eroded and appears to be a transitional phenomenon. The findings of the study indicate that service reorganization is now leading towards a possible convergence around a model of the 'delivery network' which is 'instrumental' in nature.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Research Methods and Organization StudiesPublished by Taylor & Francis ,2003
- Managing Public Sector Networked OrganizationsPublic Money and Management, 2000
- The NHS: Quasi-market, Quasi-hierarchy and Quasi-network?Public Money and Management, 1999
- The New Public Management in ActionPublished by Oxford University Press (OUP) ,1996
- Collaborative capability: An intra‐organizational perspective on collaborative advantagePublic Money and Management, 1993
- Quasi-Markets and Social PolicyPublished by Bloomsbury Academic ,1993
- Just ManagingPublished by Springer Nature ,1992
- The Discovery of Grounded Theory; Strategies for Qualitative ResearchNursing Research, 1968