MAKING SENSE DESIGN
PROOF
The Fellows Directory
Leadership Fellows
The Fellows’ Directory
Introduction:
The NHS North West Care Pathway Groups repsond to the case for change Background Healthier Horizons for the North West (May 2008) outlines a new vision for health and healthcare in the North West. The Healthier Horizons document is the formal response of NHS North West to Lord Darzi’s national review of health services as depicted in, Our NHS Our Future (2007). As Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health, Lord Ara Darzi’s 10 year vision is for a measurably high quality NHS health care system that is fairer, more personalised, effective, safe and accountable. NHS North West is the second largest of England’s 10 SHAs in population terms, comprising of 64 NHS organisations covering the biggest geographical areas of any SHA in the country. NHS North West aims to achieve the Darzi vision by setting itself the goal of making direct its appeal to the people of the region to become more active partners in both the region’s health service and in their own health by promoting awareness of the
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importance of prevention and self care to stay healthy. NHS North West has identified compelling public health facts requiring immediate action. People in the North West; • die three years younger on average than those in other parts of the country • do not always receive high quality health services • live unhealthier lifestyles do not have equal access to the NHS, particularly in some of the most deprived areas of the region • do not receive services offering the latest technologies • do not always receive evidence based care The first step in the Our NHS Our Future review in the North West was to set up eight Clinical Pathway Groups (CPGs) comprising more than 200 frontline clinicians and social care representatives with hands-on experience of caring for patients and their carers across the region.
The eight CPGs, chaired by Medical Directors and sponsored by Chief Executives are; • Birth • Children • Staying Healthy • Urgent Care • Planned Care • Mental Health • Adults and Elderly (Formerly Long Term Conditions) • End of Life Each CPG has set itself a maximum of 3 key objectives based on the QuIPP agenda in support of an overall North West remit to move away from an emphasis on the production of services and meeting targets, towards an emphasis on providing metrics for quality and experience based on measurable patient and organisational outcomes. Under the supervision of their respective Chairs, it is the role of the Fellows to contribute to their respective CPG outputs through activities that include, liaising with CPG members, collating best evidence, contributing to local mapping/audit and research, liaison with key clinical networks and leads to elicit expert opinions and contributing to the delivery of local workshops to promote the work of the CPGs as well as using such forums to
capture examples of clinical excellence in the region All outputs will be harnessed as recommendations to providers and commissioners to facilitate consistently good clinical practice that is firmly interrelated in the investment, development and delivery of sound Leadership skills across the region. It is further anticipated that the outcomes from the work streams of each CPG are likely to provide key research questions about the region’s health to the Quality Observatory for further investigation.
Contents: orth Who are the N ip West leadersh fellows? Leadership Development Vs Management Leadership ealth Letter to the H l Service Journa
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The Fellows’ Directory
Who are the NHS North West Leadership Fellows? NW Leadership Fellows for Birth Care Pathway Group Dr Ted Adams I am working on the Birth Clinical pathway group part-time, whilst continuing my training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology within the Mersey Deanery region. I have an interest in medical leadership and see the pathway groups as a way to influence both patient care and the ways in which we measure the quality of that care at regional level. The pathway groups are an opportunity for direct clinical leadership as espoused by the Darzi review. I wished to take on the leadership fellow role to develop my own leadership and management skills. Already we have seen that there is always competition in the NHS for your time and for what will become lessening resource. This role will allow me to look for innovative, but patient centered practice and to familiarise myself with the ways in which maternity and neonatal care is delivered across our truly diverse region. I have worked in a number of different Trusts across the Cheshire & Merseyside region, obtaining my Diploma in sexual & reproductive health and also a certificate in health care management. I am currently at ST4 level. 4
I chair the Mersey trainees in Obstetrics & Gynaecology committee and was the vice-chair of the Junior doctors branch of British Association of Medical Managers (BAMMbino) last year. Outside work I provide pre-hospital medical care at equestrian events. I enjoy travel and hope that the recent birth of my son won’t adversely affect my ability to go skiing – although I can see its going to make things a bit more difficult! Jill Cooper I qualified as a midwife in 2002 after studying as a direct entry student at The University of Central Lancashire. Since then I have worked for East Lancashire Hospitals Trust in various midwifery roles. Most recently I was part of a small specialist midwifery team providing 1:1 care to women and families perceived as vulnerable (such as those with severe mental health problems; situations of domestic abuse; complex child protection issues; previous traumatic birth experience; unsupported asylum seekers—all identified as being at greater risk of maternal and fetal/ infant mortality and morbidity) in order to improve outcomes. I am passionate about keeping women and families at the centre of their care, optimising the use of relevant clinicians’ skills and maintaining the path of normality.
Prior to training as a midwife I worked for The National Childbirth Trust, initially as an antenatal teacher and then as a tutor, training others to teach. This valuable experience has taught me to think outside the box, challenge routines that are not evidence-based and most importantly, listen to those receiving care. As one of the Leadership Fellows for the Birth and Newborn Clinical Pathway Group I am enjoying the challenge of investigating maternity and newborn care across the region, building on my skills and ensuring that the North West has a maternity service to be proud of. Outside work I enjoy caring for and riding my horse, looking after our four egglaying hens or curling up with a good book. NW Leadership Fellows for Children’s Care Pathway Group Dr Hesham Abdalla I am a final year Paediatric Specialist Registrar working in Manchester. I am a member of the Medication Errors Review Group at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and the Standard Setting Committee of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. I believe that the NHS is a tremendous organisation and am excited about the idea of improving it further with lasting change. Outside management, my interests include Education and Acute care. I am currently studying towards an MSc in Clinical Education and work in
Paediatric Intensive Care. To help save the planet I recently took up cycling and plan to cycle to Paris in July to raise money for Child Advocacy International (I am catching a train back, though). Dr Sarah Moll Having completed my foundation training at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport I have deferred entry to Paediatrics to commence August 2010 in Merseyside. Seeing the inefficiencies in the NHS as a junior doctor I am excited about the opportunity as a leadership fellow to understand the broad range of services available for children, young people and families and have a positive impact in this vital area of medical care. I feel the North West Leadership Fellow children’s post will enable me as a clinician to make this impact in care provision with a focus at the preventative end to find long term changes. The movement of more joint commissioning and care across government and NHS North West for Children’s services will also enhance my development and the achievement of the Children’s Clinical Pathway Group’s aims. During the year the leadership and management skills that I continue to gain I believe will be invaluable and transferable skills to my paediatric training. I am also enjoying utilising the skills I gained during my Masters in Research. Course components involved critical appraisal of journals, scientific writing, analytical and statistical analysis of data.
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The Fellows’ Directory NW Leadership Fellows for Staying Healthy Care Pathway Group Julie Davies I am Julie Davies, a registered dietitian, currently on secondment to Liverpool Healthy Schools, Liverpool City Council. I am project managing the Food in Schools element of the City’s Transforming School Food Strategy. I have worked in the NHS since 1992 predominantly in dietetic positions but have always been keen to try out new roles and have worked as a Health Promotion Advisor, a Primary Care Facilitator for Team Development and a Project Manager within the Planning and Modernisation Department of the PCT. I applied for the post of Leadership Fellow because I saw it as a way forward in an ever changing NHS structure and wanted a chance to make a difference to people’s health at a strategic level. During my previous roles I have witnessed a lack of clinical involvement at planning stages of service delivery and I am keen for the front line staff that understand patient’s needs to have input and influence in service development.
assessments in health making decisions and medical interventions. I hope that as a leadership fellow I can be involved in the delivery of a fairer, more personalised, effective, safe and accountable health service. NW Leadership Fellow for Urgent Care Care Pathway Group Dr Benjamin Brown I graduated from Manchester Medical School in 2007 and completed my Foundation training at Salford Royal Hospital. Since being an undergraduate, I’ve observed frustrating inefficiencies in the NHS and enjoyed the challenge of improving these systems. I have leadership experience from running my own limited company and coordinating research, audit and quality improvement projects. I applied to be a North West Leadership Fellow to gain experience in systems change at a regional level and formally develop my leadership skills. Following the secondment I plan to return to clinical practice and aspire to hold future positions of medical leadership.
NW Leadership Fellow for Planned Care Care Pathway Group Dr Ibrar Majid Dr Anthony Larkin I qualified from GKT School of Medicine, I am a GP trainee on Kings College, London the South Manchester in 2001, and completed training rotation. I my basic surgical training applied for the post in London and Leicester. as I have an interest in public health and primary I was then appointed as an StR trainee in Trauma and Orthopaedics in the North care development and delivery. I have a West, and am currently in the second year particular interest in the use of economic 6
of my Higher Surgical Training. My interest and experience in management to date has been mostly outside the NHS, and I currently sit on the board of two local charities and an international medical relief agency. I have a specific interest in managing effective change, and in implementing sustainable solutions to long terms problems. Outside of work, I have a keen interest in outdoor activities and I am an accomplished horseman, and an experienced hill walker. NW Leadership Fellows for Mental Health Care Pathway Group Dr Maria Breslin I studied medicine at the University of Manchester and have worked as a junior doctor in the North West in several trusts. After my PRHO year at Manchester Royal Infirmary and a SHO post in A&E at the Royal Bolton Hospital, I joined the Greater Manchester Psychiatry SHO rotation for 2½ years. In August 2007 I joined the Pennine GP training scheme at ST2 level and did 6 month posts in paediatrics and acute medicine at Fairfield General Hospital. I have one more year of my GP training to complete. In August 2008 I started a 12 month post as a medical adviser on the EWTD Medical Workforce Development Team at NHS North West, providing support for trusts within the North West. This has been an opportunity to develop management and team working skills. I applied for the leadership fellow post as I think it will be an exciting opportunity to
gain experience in service redesign and to develop leadership skills. Josephine Strauss I studied Nursing at the University of Manchester and qualified as a Registered Mental Nurse in 2003. Since then I have been employed by Manchester Mental Health and Social Care and have experience in working in adult psychiatry, both in inpatient and community settings. I am currently a Senior Practitioner in a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team. I have a specialist interest in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and have studied this at Postgraduate Level at the University of Manchester. I applied for the position of Leadership Fellow as I felt that it was an exciting way to develop and influence mental health service delivery in the North West. The role is an excellent way to build links with neighbouring Trusts and meet key stake holders in the North West’s delivery of mental health care. I also feel that it is an exciting way to consolidate my leadership skills and to gain project management experience and study for the PRINCE2 qualification. NW Leadership Fellows for Adults and Elderly Care Pathway Group Sarah Collins I am a registered dietitian and have worked in the NHS since qualifying 10 years ago. My dietetic career has been across the North West and I 7
The Fellows’ Directory have worked for both acute and primary care trusts, prior to taking up secondment with NHS North West, as Leadership fellow with the Adults and Elderly CPG, in June 2009. Prior to studying dietetics, I completed an Applied Biology degree at John Moores University, Liverpool and went onto gain a postgraduate diploma in dietetics from Leeds Metropolitan University. Later completing an MSC in nutrition and dietetics researching the effectiveness of a women’s healthy lifestyle group and weight management programme compared to traditional 1:1 dietetic practice. This widened an interest in delivering effective services for patients and was an introduction to service design. Before taking up this secondment I was Children’s Weight Management Team Leader and Specialist Paediatric Obesity Dietitian with NHS Bolton, and have been working as a specialist in weight management for the last 7 years. In addition to NHS commitments I have been a freelance trainer for Mend an internationally recognised intervention to tackle child obesity, delivering obesity awareness seminars across the UK and presenting at obesity conferences. I have also co-facilitated a group of North West dietitians and nutritionists, with an interest in weight management to meet quarterly for supervision and to share best practice. The group has been meeting since 2001. I applied for the leadership fellows post as I was looking for a new career challenge within my NHS career and hope to use my skills and interest to make a difference. I am looking forward to working with 8
differing professions from the fields of health and social care and widening my knowledge of and experience of health care delivery across the North West. Joanne Greenwood I qualified as a mental health nurse in 1990. In 2000 I completed a BA Hons degree in Practitioner Leadership at Manchester Metropolitan University, and more recently in June 2008 I successfully completed an MSc in Health and Related Research with Sheffield University. I manage an adult Complex Cases Service in the Borough of Rochdale, within Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust. The majority of clients who are referred to the service have long-term needs associated with personality disorder. I continue to manage the Rochdale Complex Cases Service for two days per week during my secondment. key factor in motivating me to apply for the secondment experience is that clinical skills and clinical expertise are invested as the driving force behind change. This experience will provide me with invaluable skills development in how to get the best out of local services, in a way that effectively combines and integrates the strategic aims with the key skills of local clinicians to best address the identified requirements of local service users and carers. The formal leadership training, including PRINCE2 training, links with NICE, NHS Evidence, the NW Quality Observatory, the NW Leadership Academy and the SHA Research & Development Team, is an investment which will
equip me with invaluable transferable leadership skills to re-invest into my seconding organisation.
fellows has already had a telling effect with only three months of the fellowship having passed.
NW Leadership Fellows for End of Life Care Pathway Group Dr Andrew Khodabukus I am a Specialty Registrar in Palliative Medicine and I work for the End of Life Clinical Pathway Group (CPG). Since graduating from the University of Liverpool in 2005 I have worked in primary, emergency, acute and tertiary care, as well as the hospice sector, in South Cumbria, North Lancashire and Cheshire and Merseyside. This has given me an insight into the challenges of delivering services in different types of communities, healthcare settings and geographies. In 2004 I conducted research as part of my BSc in International Health examining the provision of culturally specific education for minority populations with type 2 diabetes mellitus in three British cities. This impressed upon me that reports, policy recommendations and statements of grand intent are nothing without having an engaged patient population and workforce to implement them. The CPG work, in parallel with the leadership programme created by the North West Strategic Health Authority, will allow me to develop the knowledge and skills needed to foster and drive improvements in health care provision not only over the coming year but for the rest of my career. Having the opportunity to work with and share practice with the diverse collective of the leadership
Elaine Owen I qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1978 and have held a variety of roles both within the NHS and Voluntary Sector .These ranged from clinical posts, research, practice development, project managing new service initiatives, quality and management positions. In the last eleven years I have worked within the speciality of palliative care. I view the provision of high quality end of life care as a basic right for all society. We invest in and celebrate birth, the same should be available for all at end of life. A key thread throughout my healthcare career choices was to have the opportunity to be leading on improving care for patients and the development of professionals. I enjoy being challenged and having to think in different ways. All these roles gave me this. The North West Leadership Fellow post excited me, as it was an opportunity to work across all different healthcare sectors (social and health) with patients, the public and healthcare professionals, to improve and develop further high quality end of life care. It offers the opportunity to re-shape services to be at the heart of patients needs with all the key players (patients, public, services) involved. I also have a personal investment in this area as I will be a user of this service sometime in my life and my family and friends as well. 9
The Fellows’ Directory
Leadership Development Lighting Up the Dark Side: Dr Hesham Abdalla ‘You’re turning to the dark side’ and ‘you’ll be brainwashed’ were typical of the comments I received from my colleagues when I told them that I was being seconded from clinical duties for a year as part of a leadership development scheme. They were implying that clinicians have a separate moral code to those who lead them. They are two tribes glaring at each other across the terraces. The underlying sentiment is that of suspicion. Suspicion that leaders and managers have a covert plan of undermining health care, presumably
with a financial or personal goal in mind. ‘Let them try to manage us,’ say the clinicians, ‘we know what is in the best interest of patients.’ Part of this mistrust is due to a confusion between what management is and what leadership is. For Bennis and Nanus (1985), ‘managers are people who do things right, and leaders are people who do the right thing’. Often in NHS organisations the same people are responsible for both jobs, but end up being exclusively managers rather than leaders. Northouse summarised the difference between the two roles (Northouse, 2004).
Management versus Leadership Management
Liability
Produces order and consistency
Produces change and movement
Planning / Budgeting • Set timetables
• Create a vision
• Allocate resources
• Clarify big picture
• Establish agendas
• Set strategies
Organising / Staffing
Aligning People
• Provide structure
• Communicate goals
• Make job placements
• Seek commitment
• Establish rules and procedures
• Build teams and coalitions
Controlling / Problem solving
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Establishing direction
Motivating and inspiring
• Develop incentives
• Inspire and energise
• Generate creative solutions
• Empower subordinates
• Take corrective action
• Satisfy unmet needs
A more succinct and visual differentiation is given by Stephen Covey (1989) who said, ‘Management is the efficiency of climbing the ladder of success: Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.’ Hence, the moral argument against leadership development programmes is an unfounded one. Leadership also acquires a bad name because of assumptions about who leaders are. There is a widely held belief that great leaders are great men and women, who have mountains of charisma, and bags of energy and zeal. This model is, however, unsustainable and almost inevitably leads to disappointment. This paradigm is exemplified by the appointment of the hero chief executive who, like the ‘revelational’ Premiership manager is appointed and sacked within half a football season, with his team languishing in the relegation zone. An alternative leadership model, and one that is used by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, is one of distributed leadership. Its underlying philosophy is that leadership skills can be learnt (and hence taught). It aligns leadership development with management capabilities. It also locates leadership development at all levels within the organisation, aims to create an empowerment culture based on the transformation of followers into leaders, and develop a shared vision. Here in the Northwest, the Leadership Academy has been a pioneering example of this principle in action. One generation ago, the ability to communicate with, rather than at patients, was seen as either superfluous
or a God-given talent. This short-sighted approach has now been abandoned and clinicians are firmly grounded in the art of communication from their undergraduate years. Patients are listened to and have a significant say in the decisions made concerning them. Such a transformational change is now occurring in how the NHS views leadership; it is becoming a core skill and will soon be treated by clinicians not with suspicion, but enthusiasm. The ‘Leading Together’ Programme: Dr Hesham Abdella The work taking place locally in the North West is at the forefront of this distributed leadership approach. All the Leadership Fellows have been invited to join the North West Leadership Academy, an ‘organisation that will provide a sustainable approach to leadership development and be part of a broader talent management strategy which will identify, develop and track individuals (with) the potential for senior leadership roles and co-ordinate a range of development opportunities to promote the calibre and effectiveness of health care leaders in the North West.’ In the words of Mike Farrer, Chief Executive of NHS North West, ‘Today’s NHS Leaders don’t face their multiple challenges alone: our leaders have teams, directorates or organisations to meet the challenges and achieve goals. Our job as leaders is not to come up with solutions alone, but to inspire the people we lead to place ladders together, against the most appropriate walls.’ (Hartley, Bell (eds), 2009) The Leadership Fellows’ enrollment onto the Academy’s Leading Together 11
The Fellows’ Directory programme is an example of the access that clinicians are being given to bespoke leadership training. Previously, this would have been exclusively the domain of management graduates or financiers. Uniquely, this has now been opened up to a broad base of clinicians. Our training so far has included psychological assessment and mapping against clinical leadership competencies. Through cultivating and fulfilling the potential of the fellows, it is hoped that this will change a culture that will eventually reach all levels of the NHS in our region. The vision is that this will reverse the unacceptable health inequalities that face many people in the North West. This will be achieved through: • Subsidiarity - involving front-line clinicians in strategy and policy development • Co-production - fostering partnerships with wider stakeholders • Clinical engagement - bringing together clinicians, managers and others professionals to deliver improvement • System alignment - achieving buy-in at all levels and in all organisations Donald Berwick, one of the great contemporary thinkers on healthcare improvement, defined what he called the ‘central law of improvement’, that ‘every system is perfectly designed to achieve the results it achieves’. Hence, real improvement can only occur if the systems change. In the Leading Together Programme is an example of a system change that is designed to make a lasting impact. 12
Myers Briggs and Emotional Intelligence: Dr Hesham Abdella If you think back to a leader who has inspired you or a time that you inspired others, you will remember a time when emotions were touched. In the words of Daniel Goleman, ‘Great Leadership works through the emotions’ (Goleman 2002). He would argue, that a prerequisite for effective (resonant) leadership is selfawareness and self-management. The training programme that the Leadership Fellows have undertaken have addressed both of these. Our self-awareness has been heightened by psychological assessment in the form of Myers Briggs Typing. With it has come an accurate self-assessment and a knowledge of our strengths and limitations. For me, I had the unnerving experience of reading what seemed to be my own biography written by someone who had never met me. With this comes a greater self-confidence and a sense of one’s self-worth and capabilities. The Fellows have also received coaching on emotional self-management. The power of goal-setting, visualising success and transforming disappointments into learning opportunities were brought vividly to life. References: • Bennis W and Nanus N (1985) Leaders: the strategies for taking charge. Harper and Row, New York • D Goleman, RE Boyatzis, A McKee, (2002) Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business School Pr
• Covey, S (1989) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Fireside • Northouse P (2004) Leadership: theory and practice (3e). Sage, London • Hartley, Bell eds. (2009) Placing Ladders: Harnessing our leadership potential. Kingsham Press and NHS North West Leadership Academy
enough to lead Prince2 projects, it does give one the ability to differentiate between a Project Plan and a Project Brief, and more importantly the understanding to know exactly what they are and what function they serve. Never again will we quake at the mere mention of the Risk Log or the Exception Report!
PRINCE2: Dr Ibrar Majid
‘Leadership is selling, and selling is talking,’ James C Humes
Fundamental to the success of many of todays leading organisations is the ability to develop and deliver quality projects. This may seem like a simple matter to the uninitiated, but behind every good project are many hours of preparation, consideration and activity. To bring all these efforts together requires a methodical system, and this is exactly what Prince2 is: a standardised and worldwide accepted system for project management. The three day Foundation Course that all the Fellows have passed through gave us an indepth understanding into the lifecycle of a project, from initiation through to closure, and we were familiarised with terms and concepts which I am sure we will come across again in which ever management systems we may choose to work in. The methodical nature of Prince2 resonated with many of us who deal with standardised and widely accepted systems within our own health environments, and it was refreshing to learn about an approach so different to the clinical ones we have been exposd to previously. Although, the Foundation Course does not make one proficient
Presentation Skills Training: Dr Ibrar Majid
Having written speeches for five US presidents I think Mr Humes knew a thing or two about “talking”, and certainly put it to good use to produce some of the most memorable and captivating speeches of the last century. The essence of his remarks remain as true today as they have ever been; that communication and presentation are key to effective and good leadership. Within the first 10 minutes of our two day presentation skills training this was drilled home to me like never before, when our facilitator suggested that every single conversation we have is a ‘presentation’ and so every act of communication becomes a ‘presentation’. Over the next two days we learnt about not only how to structure and deliver a presentation, using an approach which will, I hope, allow us in the future to create presentations with less than five minutes of preparation, but more importantly we discussed at depth the fundamentals of communication, and the importance of body language, eye contact and the use of communication styles to get over the message we are trying to convey. However, we all know that saying what you want to 13
The Fellows’ Directory say is not always enough to get people to act, and the call to action requires the evoking of an a emotion, which we learnt to do through the relating of stories and experiences and the evoking of visual, auditory and kinesthetic senses, and the use of the Persuaisve Cycle. The fellows were also introduced to the importance of body language and the concept of the ‘five critical gestures’ as described by Virginia Satir, and we had some with fun experimenting with voice modulation to convey emotions and feelings. How has it been useful for me personally? Without exception every presentation or social interaction I have had since the training has in some way benefited from something I learnt on the course. Perhaps one of the most successful uses of what I learnt was recently when I was asked to present the work of a local charity and fundraise for them. A lack of time meant that I was not able to prepare well in advance, so using the structure we had been taught I was able to deliver a five min presentation after only three mins of preparation. In addition, by utilising some the components of the Persuasive Cycle I was able to put forward a strong case to why the audience should donate to this specific charity. It seemed to have worked when I was approached afterwards and told that my presentation had really encouraged some members of the audience to donate! I am looking forward to use these same skills when I return to my clinical setting to improve the interaction I have with my patients, and to make that interaction a much more rewarding and fulfilling one for us both. 14
Finance of the NHS Politics, Power and Persuasion: Dr Ibrar Majid Getting the best out of any system requires knowledge of how the system works, and it is ironic that as clinicians working in the NHS, many of us have very little understanding of how the NHS functions, what the roles and responsibilities are of the different stakeholders, and where the decision making occurs. One could spend an entire lifetime working in the NHS and not understand the nuances of how the organisation operates at a big picture level, and I supsect sadly that many senior clinicians probably do so! With that in mind, the Leadership Fellows have undergone extensive traning in how the NHS is structured, who has responsibility and control of what, how the finances of the NHS work, what the commissioning cycle is, and how all the different stakeholders interact with one another to deliver the best possible service for the patients they serve. The highlight of this component of our training was the role play sesssion which split the Fellows into different stakeholders within a local health economy, and we were put through our paces in running a Foundaton Trust, a Primary Care Trust and a service provider through the challenges of reconfiguration, hospital acquired infections and dealing with the media. This was a fantastic and insightful opportunity to explore the relationships and tensions between the differing organisations within the NHS, and the subsequent experience of being called in front of a Parlimentary Health Select Committee to justify our actions was not for the faint hearted! The role of such training has, I think, been crucial to help facilitate the work of the Fellows
within their own CPGs. For me personally, understanding how processes such as commissioning work, the role of the PCTs and Foundation Trusts, and how they are all related to local and central government, have made the transition from clincal practice to this management role so much easier. A personal reflection on Myers Briggs Training: Josephine Strauss As part of the Leadership Programme that has been developed for the Fellows by NHS North West, we have all had to undertake detailed psychometric testing in order to develop a better understanding of our different facets of our working behaviour. We have all completed Step 1 and Step 2 of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and have had one to one detailed feedback sessions with an Occupational Psychologist. On a personal level, I have found the process exceptionally challenging and overwhelmingly positive. I have an enhanced understanding of my natural style of working, including how I communicate with others, process information and make decisions. In addition, I have a better appreciation as to how others perceive me. The session has allowed me to learn how to use my personality more effectively and also to push myself into working in different ways. I also had the opportunity to discuss how to use my personality to manage change and others more effectively. As an emerging Leader in the NHS, this will allow me to get the most out of myself and the people I work with in a range of settings such as clinical and management supervision, leading change, and delivering a high quality care to service users.
Letter to the Health Service Journal 10 September 2009 “We read with interest the article “NHS management stars need a leg-up to rise to the top” (news analysis, page 10, 20 August). We have recently become part of a groundbreaking clinical leadership programme at NHS North West. The scheme is uniques as fellowships are open to non-medical clinicians; our cohort consists of doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals with a wide range of clinical experience. Furthermore, the majority of our group is female and there is significant representation of ethnic minorities. Over one year, the secondment includes a comprehensive training programme to develop leadership skills and provides hands-on experience. This pioneering scheme can help challenge negative opinions on leadership held by some clinicians and address the inequalities in management identified in your article.” by Dr Benjamin Brown, Ibrar Majid and Jo Strauss, on behalf of North West leadership fellows, NHS North West 15
NHS North West Leadership Fellows: NHS North West 7th Floor, Gateway House Station Approach Piccadilly South Manchester M60 7LP Tel: 0845 050 0194 www.northwest.nhs.uk