Health managers face higher stress levels than private peers

NHS managers are consistently more stressed than their private sector peers, according to Professor Michael West, professor convenor of organisational studies at Aston University.

Leading a panel discussion on the importance of leadership, Professor West said his research showed that 27 per cent of health managers rated themselves as highly stressed, compared to 18 per cent of managers in general.

Managers in an organisation are normally the least stressed group - in the NHS the reverse is true, he said, with managers far 'out-stressing' clinical colleagues.

In primary care trusts, practice managers rated the highest stress levels, reflecting the problem 'of having high levels of responsibility without control and authority'.

Professor West said there was evidence that working in 'genuine teams' reduced stress levels. A third of people not working in teams said they were highly stressed while only a fifth of those in teams said the same.

Delegates also heard that doctors are less satisfied with their training than nurses and managers.

NHS University chief executive Professor Bob Fryer said research by MORI commissioned by NHSU showed that 22 per cent of doctors were dissatisfied, compared to 14 per cent of nurses and 11 per cent of managers. But 42 per cent of support staff were fairly or very dissatisfied with their training and were particularly critical of their employers' reluctance to set aside protected time for learning.