Doctors in leadership roles: consequences for quality and safety

The evidence base on the consequences of medical leadership for the performance of healthcare organizations remains fragmented. Drawing on five years' worth (2013-2017) of data, the authors explore the impact of increasing medical participation in the senior management teams (SMTs) of acute care hospital trusts in the English National Health Service. Employing a quasi-experimental research design, based on propensity using score matching and GMM system of equations, the analysis shows the positive effect of having a critical mass of medical leaders on the SMT of public hospitals on patient experience scores and infection rates.