Bryan McIntosh

Using authenticity to achieve competitive advantage in medical tourism in the English speaking Caribbean

Abstract Medical tourism is a relatively recent global economic and political phenomenon which has assumed increasing importance for developing countries, particularly in Asia. It has been slower to develop within the context of the tourism industry in English-speaking Caribbean countries but there is evidence that the tourism policy makers in the region perceive medical tourism as a potentially lucrative niche market. However, while the potential of medical tourism has seemingly been embraced by the regions political directorate, there has been limited discussion of the extent to which this market niche can realistically provide competitive advantage for the region. The argument of this conceptual paper is that the English-speaking Caribbean cannot hope to compete successfully in the global medical tourism market with many developing world destinations in Asia, or even with other Caribbean countries such as Cuba, on factors such as low cost, staff expertise, medical technological capability, investment in healthcare facilities or even in terms of the natural resources of sun, sea and sand. Rather, in order to achieve competitive advantage the countries of the region should, on the one hand, identify and develop their unique resources and competences as they relate to medical tourism, while, on the other hand, they should exploit the demand of the postmodern tourist for authentic experiences. Both these supply and demand side issues, it is argued, can be addressed through the development of a medical tourism product that utilises the regions indigenous herbal remedies.

Illusion or delusion--Lean management in the health sector.

PURPOSEnThere has been considerable interest in the implementation of practices imported from manufacturing into healthcare as a solution to rising healthcare spending and disappointing patient safety indicators. One approach that has attracted particular interest is Lean management and the purpose of this paper is to engage with this topic.nnnDESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACHnSecondary research.nnnFINDINGSnDespite widespread enthusiasm about the potential of Lean management processes, evidence about its contribution to higher organisational performance remains inconsistent.nnnRESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONSnThis paper engages with the major Lean concepts of operations management and human resource management, including just-in-time, total quality management, total productive maintenance and does not engage in-depth with concepts related to employee empowerment, and trainingnnnPRACTICAL IMPLICATIONSnThis paper contributes to the organisational management literature in healthcare by showing that although Lean management seems to have the potential to improve organisational performance it is far from a panacea against under performing hospitals.nnnSOCIAL IMPLICATIONSnIt informs policy making by suggesting that a progressive managerial philosophy has a stronger impact on healthcare performance than the adoption of practices from any particular managerial approach.nnnORIGINALITY/VALUEnThis paper provides a critical evaluation of the impact of Lean practices in informing healthcare policy. The paper contributes to the organisational management literature in healthcare by showing that even though Lean management in healthcare appears to have the potential to improve organisational performance; there remain problems with its application.

Optimizing diagnostic imaging through skills mix: costs and opportunities

I ncreasing diagnostic capacity is a national priority to expedite the timeliness and appropriateness of patient treatment interventions. Imaging, encompassing a range of technologies including X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound, is a key diagnostic service and central to decision making in most, if not all, disease pathways. However, imaging is an expensive discipline accounting for an estimated 3–5% of the annual NHS budget. As a result, it is imperative that we maximize service efficiency while optimizing patient outcomes.

Brexit: the consequences and impact on the health sector

REF Compliant by Deposit in other institutions Repository: Bradfords repository on 25/07/2017: http://hdl.handle.net/10454/12681

Hope and glory: an expanded social strategy diagnosis model to incorporate corporate social responsibility within business strategy

Corporate social responsibility has been seen by corporations as a practice to adopt as an act of philanthropy. There have been attempts to expand the role of social responsibility to business problems however there has never been an attempt to consider the strategic alignment of social outcomes to strategy. This article analyses the role of strategy by providing a review of strategy using Whittingtons generic strategies model and expanding the same model to incorporate a social strategy model that supports the anecdotal idea that social responsibility can be potentially strategic. The paper centres its argument within the Indian context.

The end of the road? CPD in the NHS.

This article considers how cuts in Government funding will affect continuing professional development and mentorship training for NHS staff

What next for continuing professional development

Bryan McIntosh and Andrew Hart consider how cuts in Government funding will affect continuing professional development and mentorship training for NHS staff

The future of mental health resource management

British Journal of Healthcare Management 2012 Vol 18 No 2 69 Generic working has been encouraged by national policy, for example, community services frequently seek a ‘mental health practitioner’ rather than specifying a profession. Blurring of professional role demarcation and an influx of workers without professional accountability has troubled some commentators. The NHS has emphasised that life experiences, attitudes and cultural background are as important as a professional qualification within the mental health service. Today, mental health practitioners act as enablers, facilitators, educators, supervisors and consultants, rather than being purely expected to deliver most of the hands-on care. Workforce diversity, alongside a reduced emphasis on professional expertise in the usercentred ‘Recovery Model’, has been seen both positive and detrimental to the profession. Within this complex dynamic are financial pressures. Demand is predicted to rise, but while the Government has declared that the NHS will be spared from public sector spending cuts, budgets may be sufficient only to maintain real levels of investment. Therefore costeffectiveness is crucial to rational workforce planning—this requires sophisticated analysis of the impact of staffing profile on demand responsiveness, clinical outcomes and both shortand long-term resource consumption. Therefore, the development of skill maximisation is essential not just for the mental health services but the entire NHS. Skill maximisation allows capabilities to be focused on the most important and challenging allowing other activities to be performed by lower-cost and by more flexible resource options. To achieve this, active partnerships between practitioners and management must commence. They can ascertain whether current internal skills and capabilities are aligned with required skills and capabilities. Difficult decisions need to be made on which mix of resources and sourcing strategies will provide these capabilities with best quality at lowest total cost and risk. This may result in some short-term pain when ‘fixing the mix,’ but ultimately, it ensures that staff are maximising the skills critical to patients, clients and the NHS. The challenges lie not in theory but as always, in application and without these changes, the service will face an uncertain future. BJHCM Bryan McIntosh, Associate Professor of International Business, Richmond University argues that the development of skill maximisation for mental health services is essential The future of mental health resource management