Exploring health work: a critical-action perspective.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a hybrid approach to the research developed during a multi-researcher, ethnographic study of NHS management in the UK. Design/methodology/approach This methodological paper elaborates a hybrid approach to the sociological analysis - the critical-action theory - and indicates how it can contribute to the critical health management studies. Findings After exploring the various theoretical, methodological and philosophical options available, the paper discusses the main research issues that influenced the development of this perspective and the process by which the critical-action perspective was applied to the studies of managerial work in four health service sectors - acute hospitals, ambulance services, community services and mental healthcare.

What have NHS managers ever done for us?

The image of the UK National Health Service manager has not always been positive. Like others in the public sector, NHS managers are sometimes associated in the media with waste and inefficiency, in contrast to those in 'front line roles'. Thus healthcare professionals and members of the public might ask, in the tradition of Monty Python's Life of Brian, what NHS managers have ever done for us.