TO WHAT EXTENT CAN PRIVATE SECTOR APPROACHES TO HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BE DIRECTLY TRANSFERRED INTO THE PUBLIC SECTOR? AN ILLISTRATION OF THE NHS CASE.
INTRODUCTION
Since the advent of new public management reforms, private sector managerial approaches are fast gaining attention in various public sectors. This is due to the belief that on-going global economic constraints and fiscal crises are demanding for more organisational effectiveness with minimal cost, and private sector practices are believed to be more efficient than its public sector counterpart. It is within this context that human resource management practices are being transferred into the public sector for better performance.
However, several literatures have debated
That is, the NHS star rating evaluates hospital performance across dimensions like patient satisfaction, clinical output, waiting times and delivering capacity of hospitals (Healthcare Commission , 2004). Hospitals are ascribed ratings of zero, one, two or three stars based on their performances in the score calculation. As a result, higher star rating hospitals acquire greater autonomy whilst managers in lower star rating hospitals are been threatened of their dismissal (Givan, 2005). Some researchers have tried to demonstrate its efficacy, however, other researchers have demonstrated that the associated indicators, targets, star ratings, rewards and punishment are unfair and unreal in the public sector and consequently destroy the blue print of NHS which is fairness, equity, quality and universality.
Givan (2005, p. 636) argues that the supposed intention of the NHS star ratings to improve performance and to increase public awareness to quality of delivered health services is only rhetorical. She argues that, in practice, HR performance indicators have not been generated from fair, accurate and transparent data, and as such; the indicators have not fulfilled their primary goals as many HR directors have expressed their lack of confidence in the quality of data used towards the ratings. She further notes that the public has used the rating as an opportunity to criticise hospitals instead of