UK ambulance service defends 'Hitler' survey

By Alison Dayani
The Birmingham Mail

BIRMINGHAM, England — West Midlands NHS chiefs have forked out pounds 10,000 of taxpayer's cash on a project that rates how "cool" Hitler was.

Campaign groups are appalled that two paramedics at West Midlands Ambulance Service won a bursary from NHS West Midlands health authority for the 'Making Leadership Cool' year-long study. A survey asking 3,300 staff to rate how cool Hitler was and other figures including Gordon Brown, pictured, and Fabio Cappello appeared in an Ambulance Service newsletter as part of the project to see what makes a good boss.

The ratings ranging from a not cool 'One' to cool 'Five' are set to be used by NHS chiefs to help develop a leadership development programme.

Fiona McEvoy, from the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "This is an utterly ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money. It's pretty obvious what people are going to think of Hitler and has nothing to do with the ambulance service at all.

"The whole survey is absurd."

Murray Macgregor, spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "A survey which is one small part of the project, sought to include an analysis of the dictatorial style. With hindsight, it would have been better to have used a different example to illustrate this.

"The project is important in identifying the key characteristics of good leadership, to allow the organisation and the wider NHS to be more efficient."

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