The committee for medical managers (CMM) represents doctors in leadership roles across the UK, including:
- Chief executives
- Medical directors
- Clinical directors
- Clinical leads
The CMM seeks to represent all doctors who have a managerial role, whether they work in primary, secondary or community care, public health or academia, long-established positions or emergent leadership roles in new structures and organisations.
The CMM recognises the myriad concerns facing medical managers, and the importance of having clinicians in leadership positions. Accordingly, the committee is committed to not only helping those currently in post, but also promoting education, clear pathways and the terms and conditions that will ensure a talented cadre.
Our priorities
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Improving pay, contracts and working lives of medical managers
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Shaping the future of medical management; promoting and facilitating management as a career pathway, and championing diverse medical leadership
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Addressing systemic issues, such as bullying, to improve workplaces and working relationships
Take part in one of our free courses designed to give you the right skills to:
- break down equality and inclusion bias (CPD-accredited)
- value difference and inclusivity
- live our BMA behaviour principles.
Our people
- Chair: Ricky Bhabutta
- Deputy chair for primary care: Annabelle Howell
- Deputy for secondary care: Michael Rees
Our meetings
The committee meets four times a year to discuss the latest issues affecting medical managers. The meetings are open to committee members only.
- Friday 7 October 2022
- Thursday 15 Dec 2022
- Friday 3 March 2023
- Tuesday 13 June 2023
Leadership webinars
The committee for medical managers held its inaugural conference on Tuesday 26 April 2022, and was comprised of the following 8 sessions.
Creating conditions for social justice and representation: How do we get there?
Tracie Jolliff’s session involved creating inclusive working cultures and closing gaps on health inequalities across health and care, requires leaders and managers to have higher expectations of themselves and each other. Setting high and ambitious standards for equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice, begins with a personal commitment to learn, that is evidenced through practice. This presentation sets out some simple but powerful actions, that everyone can adopt to improve their own practice on equity, diversity and inclusion, so that through your decision-making, socially just outcomes will increasingly become the norm.
Health inequalities and what medical managers can do to reduce them
The presentation, delivered by Sir Harry Burns, discussed health inequalities, the lack of progress on health inequalities and the reasons why public policy fails.
Managing ill health and conduct considerations
The presentation, delivered by Christine Sharkey and Claire Ashley, explained the Medical Manager’s Service, discussed common themes when addressing employment issues with specific reference to sickness absence management and conduct issues, together with signposting for useful reference sources.
Staff recovery in the wake of the pandemic
Neil Greenberg’s session outlined the main causes of poor mental health in healthcare workers and set out practical ways of improving mental wellbeing within individuals, and teams, of healthcare staff engaged in carrying out highly challenging roles. The talk included information about moral injury which describes the potential psychological impacts of being exposed to situations which strongly clash with someone’s moral or ethical code. The session drew upon evidence, and experience, from other occupational settings where staff are engaged in pressured, and often trauma-prone, duties as well as providing contemporary information about the mental health of healthcare staff over the last two years.
Health and safety lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic
Raymond Agius’ session considered both the preparation for the Covid-19 pandemic, and the precautionary measures that were, or should have been, implemented to protect the health of doctors and other healthcare workers. It explores lessons that needed to be learned at government, agency, employer and manager level.
The 2020s and leading through complexity
Peter Lees’ session on healthcare is becoming increasingly complex with continuous advances in clinical care coupled with system reorganisation. Leadership is critical and yet, have we asked if the leadership which has served us in the past is fit for the future or, indeed, the present? There is increasing talk of systems leadership but are we clear what it is? The literature suggests that leading in complex systems needs a different leadership mindset with different skills to what makes medical leaders successful in front-line clinical care.
Spaces for listening
This session introduced a simple, lightly structured approach, where a group of peers - any group of 7-8 people - can do with & for each other with little preparation or fuss. The aim is that this will give you the opportunity to consider whether it is something which you would like to experience yourself, and also possibly to bring into practice locally in your organisation, community, or network.
Implementing adjustments in the workplace
Lucy Brant and Lucy Kerr discussed the definition of reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, as well as normalising adjustments, case studies and advice for managers.
Creating change in change-resistant environments
In January 2022 we held a webinar with expert speakers, Professor Partha Kar (NHS England national specialty advisor for diabetes and NHS Improvement co-lead of diabetes GIRFT) and Gareth Parry-Jones, BMA head of strategic communications, who discussed case studies of effective change being achieved for healthcare, and ways to influence others and bring about effective reform.
Curing the sickness in the system- understanding and eradicating bullying in the NHS
In November 2021 we held a webinar with expert guest speakers, Dr Sonya Wallbank, King’s Fund, Russell Parkinson, the National Guardian's Office and John Drew, NHSE/I who discussed the factors that allow bullying to thrive within the NHS, the impact of this behaviour, as well as what we can do to challenge it.
Develop your medical leadership skills: a focus on women
In July 2021 we held a webinar with expert guest speakers Professor Clare Hopkins, Dr Vaishali Nanda and Mr David Thornton who discussed the experiences of women in medical leadership roles in the NHS, unconscious bias, barriers and progression for women in leadership roles.
Leadership during Covid-19: challenging the role of the medical manager
In May 2021, we held a webinar with experienced guest speakers, including Dame Clare Gerada and Professor Neil Greenberg, who discussed some of the competing pressures medical managers are facing, the help that is available and the practical steps that medical managers can take to help themselves and their teams.
How can medical leaders manage the environmental impact of their prescribing?
In March 2021, we held a webinar discussing the impact of medical leaders' prescribing on the environment. Dr Sharon Pfleger, a consultant in pharmaceutical public health, gave a presentation on new ways to reduce its impact.
Why talented doctors make talented managers
In January 2021, we held a webinar discussing why talented doctors make talented managers with research presented by Dr Amanda Goodall.
Diversity in leadership
In November 2020, we held an online panel exploring how to tackle racial health inequalities through ethnically diverse medical leadership.
How to join
There are many advantages to becoming involved in our committees. You can actively influence BMA policy-making and negotiations, represent your colleagues' voices and develop your leadership skills.
Each committee has a few routes to becoming an elected member. In the case of CMM, this is:
- Seats/term - every year, elections for half of the 17 seats on CMM take place for a two-session term.
- Timeline - elections take place in June or July.
- Eligibility - all BMA members who meet the specified criteria for each seat are eligible to stand and vote in these elections. The criteria will be specified in the section below when elections are open.
The election section below is kept up to date with details about any running elections, so make sure you keep checking it throughout the year.
Elections
Election to CMM is closed.
Get in touch
If you are a BMA member, please ensure your membership information updated so that we can contact you.
If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the committee of medical managers, or have any issues or questions relating to the committee, or a would like to get in touch with a representative please contact: [email protected].
The BMA is working to meet the challenges that women face in the medical profession.
Stand for a BMA committee and be part of this change.