Health service managers are responsible for making sure a hospital, or other health organisation, runs efficiently and effectively. Their aim is to provide patients and other users with the best possible service, given the available facilities, finance and staff.

As a health service manager, your duties could include:

• supervising staff and taking responsibility for the work they do
• dealing with day-to-day operational matters
• using statistical information to monitor performance and help with long term planning
• setting and maintaining budgets
• creating and carrying out the company objectives
• implementing the policies of the board, making sure government guidelines are followed
• working with clinical staff and other professionals
• managing contracts.

Your role could range from chief executive of a large hospital to manager of a GP surgery. You could also be a manager within the ambulance service, community health service (Primary Care Trust) or a strategic health authority (local NHS headquarters, monitoring service and performance of local NHS Trusts).

Alternatively, you could specialise in an area such as personnel and finance, or clinical, therapeutic or technical support.

What qualifications and experience will employers look for?

There are a number of ways you could get into health service management. The most direct route is through one of the NHS Graduate Management Training Schemes. To get on to a scheme, you will need a degree (minimum grade 2:2) or an equivalent qualification in a health or management related subject. Check the training and development section below for more information.

• NHS Graduate Management Training Schemes

Alternative routes into health service management include:

• working your way up from an administrative post by taking in-service training courses such as those run by the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) – to start as an administrator you are likely to need four or five GCSEs (grade A-C) and possibly A levels
• applying directly to the NHS for a junior management position – for this you will usually need a degree plus management experience
• joining the NHS through the 18-month fast-track ‘Gateway to Leadership programme’, which provides rapid progression to senior management posts – you will need a degree plus substantial experience at senior management level or in complex project management
• Gateway to Leadership programme
• taking an in-service training programme leading to a Certificate or Diploma in Managing Health and Social Care – for this you will usually need to be working within the NHS in a clinical role (or a profession related to health).

You can also check the IHM and NHS Careers websites for more details of schemes, training programmes and alternative entry qualifications.

• Institute of Healthcare Management
• NHS Careers

What further training and development can I do?

Your training will vary depending on the route you take to become a health service manager. Joining on an NHS graduate scheme, your training could involve:

• (on a General Management Training Scheme) a three-month period working outside the NHS with another healthcare organisation and studying for a qualification like a Masters in Health and Public Leadership
• (on a Financial Management Scheme) working towards a professional accountancy qualification, such as CIMA or CIPFA
• (on a Human Resources Management Scheme) studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources and graduate membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
• (on a Informatics Management Scheme) developing creative ways to use IT to improve patient care and working towards a postgraduate qualification in Health Informatics.

These programmes take between two and three years to complete and combine work experience with theoretical study. Check the NHS Graduate Scheme website for details.

• NHS Graduate Scheme

When you have been working as a manager for around two years, you can apply to become a member of the IHM, which will give you access to a range of professional development opportunities.

• Institute of Healthcare Management

Similar schemes for both general and financial management are run in Wales (Leadership Development Scheme) and Northern Ireland (Health and Social Services Management Scheme).