The National Health Service (NHS) is the UK’s biggest single employer and the third
largest single employer in the world, with 1-3 million employees- It is a publicly
funded health service- It delivers health care to all citizens of the UK regardless of
social class or wealth and, significantly, is ‘free at the point of use’- Since its creation
in 1948, it has become almost sacred to the British public-
It receives heavy criticism when things go wrong, but is also heavily prized for its
provision of unlimited free health care from cradle to grave- Political parties
understand that their policy towards the NHS is critical in election campaigns-
The NHS is well-established, and any attempt to make changes in the way it
operates is scrutinised in fine detail by every part of UK society. Over the decades,
the proportion of UK GDP spent on the NHS has increased steadily and this is
currently in the region of 7-5%- In recent years, the NHS has been rocked by
scandals over quality of care, scare stories about govemment attempts to privatise it,
and accusations of misuse of public money, particularly in relation to salaries and
benefits of senior managers- Recently, the NHS has suffered a number of wideranging
strikes by junior doctors in a dispute over changes to their contracts-
Using appropriate leadership and organisational change theory, you are required to
research and answer the following questions in essay format:
Tasks
Write an essay regarding the recent junior doctors’ contract dispute which should
cover:
1- Using Freeman’s Stakeholder Theory identify and analyse the stakeholders of
the UK National Health Service and rate them by importance, ensuring that
you clearly identify the key needs and desires of each stakeholder group-
Additionally, identify and analyse the sources of power of each stakeholder
using Handy’s taxonomy (30 marks)
2- Using either Schein’s levels of culture or the Cultural Web, analyse the current
organisational culture of junior doctors in the UK National Health Service-
Additionally, identify and justify the type of change the organisation is trying to
implement with the new junior doctors’ contract- (30 marks)
3- Using Lewin’s force-field model identify and analyse the barriers to change
currently confronting the UK National Health Service in terms of delivering the
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new junior doctors’ contract, ensuring you apply your answers to clearly
referenced examples from the organisation’s recent history. (30 marks)
4- The essay should include an introduction, main body of research and
analysis, conclusion, references and appendices- It should be academically rigorous and properly referenced-
