01.12.16
King’s Fund: Implementing new leadership framework ‘must not be underestimated’
NHS Improvement has launched a new leadership framework to help strengthen organisational culture within the health service.
The new framework, ‘Developing People – Improving Care’, co-developed with numerous NHS and non-NHS partners such as the CQC, DoE and HEE, sets out to empower NHS and social care staff to develop their improvement and leadership skills, thereby protecting and improving services in the short and long term under unprecedented pressure to improve performance.
The framework focuses on helping NHS and social care staff to develop their systems leadership in order to ‘join up’ local health and care systems in line with STPs, improvement methods, making leadership more compassionate and inclusive, and supporting NHS-funded services to fill their senior vacancies.
“‘Developing People – Improving Care’ provides a framework to guide actions on people development aimed at creating systemic, lasting solutions for the long term in every part of the service,” the framework summarises.
“The overarching ambition of this framework is a national health and care system where people at every level take pride and joy in their work, and where together they have the capability and capacity to deliver continuous improvement in care for individuals, population health and value for money.”
The immediate actions made by the framework include a training offer by HEE for each of the 44 STP leaders and local partners to make sure that their skill needs are met, along with a programme via the NHS Leadership Academy.
The NHS Leadership Academy has already worked in partnership with NHS Improvement and NHS Providers to deliver two Aspiring Chief Executives programmes, with several participants already securing CEO roles, providing particular tailored support for aspiring BME leaders.
Thirteen bodies have also pooled together more than £1.5m to fund a System Leadership – Local Vision Programme which helps local services to deliver integrated services, while NHS England has launched a rapid improvement support programme aiming to reach all 7,800 GP practices in the next three years.
The King’s Fund, which is working with NHS Improvement to provide trusts with resources that help them to change their organisational culture, welcomed the launch of the new leadership framework, saying that it should be “a springboard to a new style of leadership” in the NHS.
However, it also said that the scale of the challenge in implementing such huge change should not be underestimated.
Marcus Powell, director of leadership and organisational development for The King’s Fund, said: “This strategy does an excellent job of articulating the change we need to see and the focus on compassionate leadership, system leadership and building talent is particularly welcome.
“But we should not underestimate the scale of the challenge in implementing it, as turning its laudable aspirations into reality will involve huge change… As tough as this will be, it is worth making the effort because the size of the prize – fully releasing the potential of a workforce that is passionate about what it does and deeply believes in the NHS’s values – is massive.”
NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson added: “NHS leaders at every level are working flat out in the most challenging of circumstances to ensure the best possible care for patients and service users. We need to create a culture that identifies, nurtures and supports current and future leaders.”
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