ABSTRACT
Changes in healthcare are driven by several factors: financial, political, economic and social. Consumer changes, with increasing life expectancy, the growth of long-term illnesses, widespread access to health information and increasing demand for both quality and quantity of healthcare, have required health strategists to re-evaluate the organisation and structure of healthcare services in Britain and other western economies. Management structures should be defined after the functions of a service are determined. Organisational structure directly influences the provision of patient care, affecting both staffing and service issues. Structural changes have caused concerns for Allied Health Professions (AHP) services. Management arrangements for AHPs are not uniform across the National Health Service (NHS). The management role is sometimes divided between management and professional functions. An AHP manager was defined as an AHP holding management responsibilities for one or more AHP services across their entire Trust; 83% of Trust respondents fulfilled these criteria.
