Doctors who become chief executives in the NHS: from keen amateurs to skilled professionals

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the experiences of doctors who become chief executives of NHS organizations, with the aim of understanding their career paths and the facilitators and barriers encountered along the way. DESIGN: Twenty-two medical chief executives were identified and of these 20 were interviewed. In addition two former medical chief executives were interviewed. Information was collected about the age at which they became chief executives, the number of chief executive posts held, the training they received, and the opportunities, challenges and risks they experienced. SETTING: All NHS organizations in the United Kingdom in 2009. RESULTS: The age of medical chief executives on first..