21.05.14
NHS needs ‘collective leadership’ to tackle lack of pride
Only one in five doctors and nurses believe there is pride and optimism among the staff at their trust, compared to 63% of executive directors.
In two reports published today, health think tank The King's Fund and ‘executive education’ provider the Center for Creative Leadership say the NHS must promote collective leadership, where everyone takes responsibility for the success of the organisation as a whole. This will improve quality of care, they say.
Currently, two-fifths (43%) of NHS staff say swift and effective action is not take to deal with inappropriate behaviours and performance at their organisation. Although most staff did feel that patient feedback is taken into account, only 39% felt that their organisation was characterised by “openness, honesty and challenge” – a key Francis Inquiry recommendation.
Nicola Hartley, director of leadership development at The King's Fund, said: “The survey reveals a mixed picture of leadership and compassion in the NHS. The disconnect between the views of executive directors and other staff, especially nurses and doctors, is cause for concern. It is important that NHS organisations engage in dialogue and debate to achieve a shared understanding of the challenges they face and what the solutions are.
“Creating truly compassionate patient services requires collective leadership, where all staff take responsibility for the success of the organisation and that this is actively promoted by leaders in the organisation. All NHS organisations should make creating a collective leadership strategy a priority.”
But, she said, the last year has seen an improvement in how NHS staff view the quality of leadership, with those saying it is ‘good’ or ‘very good’ rising from 14% to 22%, and those saying ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ down from 40% to 28%.
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