Change of managerial roles of doctors in hospitals: what can we learn from the British?

This paper surveys the attitudes to managerial roles shown by Polish and British doctors and their evolution over the past decades. The paper is based on a review and analysis of literature, policy documents, healthcare statistic sand semi-structured interviews. Results of this research show that in the past doctors were reluctant to assume managerial roles in the UK system, whereas they were actually keen to do so in the Polish one. Changes in both countries (more market orientation in both countries, UK state policy) changed the doctors’ attitude to management. In the UK, doctors are at the moment more interested in taking on managerial responsibilities, while in Poland they are less interested in doing so in public hospitals due to the financial incentives attached to clinical work. In private hospitals, however, doctors understand the need for collaboration with general managers and other professional groups.