The Darzi report was spattered throughout the health press last week and included a look at how to solve the issue of problem managers who skulk off from one organisation only to pop up in another.

Lord Darzi of Denham, the Health Minister, has ruled out developing a regulatory body - akin to a general medical council - for managers, reports Health Service Journal (July 3). Instead, there should be an enhanced code of conduct and consultation on how best to prevent poorly performing leaders from moving to other NHS organisations.

In Wales, the management of hospital wards is experien-cing a blast from the past. Under Government plans, ward sisters and charge nurses are to be given increased powers in the running of hospitals, reports Nursing Standard (July 2). Sisters will be trained to manage staff and take charge of the entire care environment. “Somewhere along the way we lost our path and let general management take over, rather than keeping patients as our focus,” says Rosemary Kennedy, the chief nursing officer for Wales. “Now there will be a clear mandate from chief executives, backed up by executive nurses, that ward sisters have full and absolute control over the care environment.” Richard Jones, interim director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, tells Nursing Times (July 1): “One of the most important factors is that they will be in charge of the domestic staff, which will ... allow them to manage as they did years ago.”

But is management just a game? Purpose-designed cards are being used by community nurses at Central Surrey Health to help them to communicate to their managers what motivates them at work, reports Nursing Standard. Each card describes a value, such as “trust and respect” and “affirmation”. Perhaps “talking” would be a good one?

Code of conduct for managers

How best to prevent poorly performing leaders from moving to other NHS organisations

BACKGROUND

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• Councils take aim at teenagers

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Hunks back smear tests

“Be cervix savvy” - not words conventionally used together, but put them on a poster with a hunky bloke and you may just coax young women to their cervical screening appointments.

Nursing Standard (July 2) reports on the campaign by Camden Primary Care Trust that Maggie Luck, the trust's public health screening co-ordinator, admits is unconventional. But she says there are particular concerns over the non-attendance of 25 to 29-year-olds.

Eileen Munson, a nurse practitioner, comments: “My first reaction was outrage - that this was highly inappropriate. But if they are trying to attract the attention of young women, the fact [that] there is a hunky man will make them look twice.”

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