DEVELOPING THE POWER TO ACT OF HOSPITAL PRACTITIONERS, TO “DO WELL” AND HAVE AN IMPACT: THE CASE OF THE CALVI-BALAGNE HOSPITAL CENTRE

Abstract

The covid 19 health crisis, which seemed to sound the death knell for public hospitals, led to an accelerated awareness, on the part of hospital stakeholders and public authorities, of the ills of the public health sector. The rise of New Public Management in public hospitals, characterised by a hybridisation of the roles of healthcare professionals, has led to a loss of meaning in their work and a clash between professional identities within the structure, with the administrative sphere on one side and the practitioner sphere on the other.In order to respond to these challenges, this article looks at the rise of the power to act, which offers employees the conditions to move towards the essence of their profession and thus contribute to the construction, or reconstruction, of meaning at work for healthcare professionals. The qualitative methodology used in this study highlights, through cognitive maps and semi-structured interviews, the points of convergence between the administrative and practitioner visions. The results suggest that we should move beyond the idea of a ‘doctor-manager’ towards a systemic, learning approach, made possible by the development of a supportive environment.