NHS England has launched a £2m programme to help local systems start or improve their leadership development initiatives.
The funding will be allocated to 23 areas, to help them grow their leadership development activities, supporting both new and established leaders ‘to increase their system leadership capability’, NHS England said.
The programme is in line with the long-term plan commitment to better feed the NHS leadership pipeline by introducing local approaches to identify and encourage new leaders.
How ICSs can develop local leadership
The programme is designed to help local systems boost their capacity by securing future leaders through ‘mechanisms such as talent management’.
Integrated care systems (ICSs) and sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) will be able to encourage staff to apply for leadership training courses at all levels and create networks of people interested in leadership development that can support others.
NHS England director of primary care and system transformation Dom Hardy said:
‘As set out in the long-term plan, we want to nurture the next generation of NHS leaders by more systematically identifying, developing and supporting those with the capability and ambition to reach the most senior levels of the service.
‘The leadership development programmes are about getting people from different parts of the health system to work together and inspire the system-wide workforce to solve problems together as a team.’
Invest in leadership to drive change
NHS England’s £2m programme draws on five successful local leadership programmes: Frimley Health and Care 2020 Programme; Surrey Heartlands Academy; Fylde Coast 100 Systems Leader Programme; North Cumbria; and Leading Greater Manchester.
These programmes, NHS England said, highlighted how important it is to empower individuals with the skills they need to drive change, as well as ‘identify new ways of working’ in collaboration with other organisations.
For instance, The Frimley Health and Care 2020 leadership development programme has already seen 100 leaders – including GPs, consultants, therapists, nurses, social workers, and managers – attend initiatives and events since it launched in 2017.
The work of these leaders has resulted in a number of changes, including the delivery of frailty education across the Frimley Health and Care ICS and the development of a website for families with children suffering from ADHD/ASD symptoms.
Frimley Health and Care ICS lead Fiona Edwards said: ‘Already we’ve seen how a collaborative effort of discovery, curiosity, innovation and commitment to a change challenge has reinvigorated professionals to see their potential roles in improving health outcomes.
