ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the role of the clinical director, with particular reference to clinical directors in acute hospitals, and considers the use of aggregated information to support the management role. Many clinical managers describe their initial experiences of management as 'being thrown in at the deep end'; 'jumping on a moving bus' or 'getting on a moving merry-go-round'. Research on the role of clinical director has dispelled a number of the early myths. The immediate management task that faces newly appointed clinical directors varies not only according to their experience, preparatory training and other qualities, but also according to the directorate itself and its immediate prior histories. Clinical directors in mental health, learning disability or community trusts face a very different challenge. The closeness of clinicians to clinical development is one of their great strengths as clinical managers and the failure of the National Health Service (NHS) to draw lessons from the past is very visible.
