Preface

Management knowledge and skills are essential requirements for doctors of all grades. An understanding of all aspects of management is necessary for a doctor to perform at the highest standard. This book has been written by practising doctors for doctors. We have written the text with the aim of providing essential knowledge in a concise manner. We have included 60 topics in an easy-to-read format. The main themes have been alphabetically listed for easy reference. We have particularly focused on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of medical management, as these are the practical issues which impact on the daily lives of all doctors. Busy clinicians of all grades, educational leads and those taking up medical managerial roles will find this book particularly useful. Doctors preparing for interviews will also find that it provides the required knowledge for those management questions. We hope that our aims are met and that doctors will benefit from this book.

Acknowledgements

In the course of creating this book we have drawn on the time and support of many people. Our colleagues in R&D, Dr Alan Warnes and Mr Simon Lewis, wrote chapters on ‘Research funding’ and ‘Research governance’, respectively; Dr Shriti Pattani, Consultant in Occupational Health, contributed a chapter on ‘The sick doctor’. We thank them for giving of their time generously and keeping to deadlines. We are also grateful to Ms Fiona Wise, chief executive, North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, for her support; consultant colleagues for their encouragement and helpful suggestions; our trainees for inspiring us to write this book; and Deborah Russell and Jane Seakins at Cambridge University Press for having been a constant source of help throughout its preparation.