Human resource management's contribution to healthy healthcare

The aim of this chapter is to outline and evaluate the role of human resource management (HRM) in contributing to healthcare provision and to the well-being of those working in healthcare. To achieve this, the chapter is divided into three main sections. The first section describes the nature and importance of HRM, highlighting some of the main theoretical and conceptual debates and some of the research evidence. The second section reviews and evaluates research on HRM in healthcare, illustrating how it has been associated with positive outcomes such as lower mortality rates, better continuity of care and higher patient satisfaction. The third section presents an outline of a distinctive employee-centred approach to HRM that focuses more explicitly on employee well-being and sets out a future research agenda.