A new NHS quango is failing to recruit for highly paid senior roles because the skills simply aren’t there, according to a senior healthcare recruiter. 

Under the government’s health reforms, the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for spending a third of the NHS budget. The new body formally begins work next April.

However, in its official ‘risk register’ which it uses to identify risks to the organisation, it admits that it is struggling to recruit sufficient people in time.

According to The Guardian, there are indications that it is failing to recruit even well paid ‘local team directors’ roles on salaries of £140,000. 

Clive Davies, associate director in Harvey Nash’s healthcare practice, tells Recruiter that while many senior health service managers have taken early retirement or are waiting for a redundancy payment “the more likely reason that the board is unable to recruit because the skills aren’t there”.  

These are jobs that entail a lot responsibility and strong leadership profile, adds Davies.

As Recruiter.co.uk went press the NHS commission board had not responded to our request for comment.

Comments

Kate Headley, 30 Aug 2012, 10:30:

• In a world full of talent never displayed to greater advantage than at last nights Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, i would encourage the Quango and those recruiters supporting the process to consider where those skills may lie beyond the NHS. They will be there but they may not fit the mould of traditional NHS leadership.  My advice,  go back to the brief and hold those challenging debates about what is required. If we want something different it may be time to consider a different way of going about it? In a changing world we need to get really smart about how, where and who we recruit to take us forward.

Tracey Abbott, 30 Aug 2012, 10:18:

• Odd, I put a call out to my networks on LinkedIn and got a huge response.

Ruth Willis, 29 Aug 2012, 14:31:

• I was interested to read the article on the inability to recruit senior executives to a new NHS quango. The problem is that organisations like the NHS will not consider experienced executives with transferable skills from other sectors and take a very narrow view of the type of person that they want to recruit. I know that this is the case as I am one of those experienced executives and I have tried to gain employment in the NHS and it is impossible.