NHS Confederation – 18th April 2024
How three systems are using clinical and care professional leadership in practice and the steps they are taking to deliver the five principles.
Further information – Clinical and care professional leadership in practice
Kings Fund – 18th July 2023
Further information – The Practice of Collaborative Leadership: Across health and care services
Social Market Foundation – July 2023
The UK’s health care system lags behind those of many comparable countries, despite signs of slow improvement in some areas in the years before the pandemic. This report examines the role that better leadership and management can play in both lifting up the tail of underperforming health care providers and fostering more ‘outstanding’ health care providers, so that health care outcomes in this country are much closer to those of the best systems in the world.
Further information – A picture of health? Examining the state of leadership and management in healthcare
NHS Providers – November 2022
This briefing delves into our recent survey of trust leaders of the operational pressures they face and their preparedness for winter.
Full Report – State of the provider sector 2022
Evans, D. (2022). So close to love: compassionate leadership in healthcare. British Journal of Healthcare . https://doi.org/10.12968/bjhc.2021.0135
This review, published in the British Journal of Healthcare Management explores the need for compassionate leadership and the context in which it has developed, as well as definitions of compassionate leadership according to existing literature. It also considers how compassionate leadership is conceptualised in both theory and practice.
Abstract
Compassionate leadership has received significant attention in the UK health system, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping literature review aimed to explore current knowledge about compassionate leadership in healthcare. A search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed and ASSIA databases identified 34 papers published between 2015 and 2020. The review found broad agreement regarding the definition of and need for compassionate leadership, as well as the existence of differences in practice, dependent on the hierarchical levels in healthcare organisations. However, current research lacks clarity and depth concerning the theoretical underpinnings of compassionate leadership. The question ‘how can you be critical of something so close to love?’ draws attention to the paucity of critical analysis and research. As a result, the ability of compassionate leadership to define a new way of working and deliver real change is unclear.
NHS Leadership Academy | nd | Leadership Listens: inspirational podcasts
Leadership Listens: inspirational podcasts compassionate leadership and is a collection of conversations between Professor Michael West and leaders from across the health and care sector.
It’s based around Michael’s latest book – Compassionate Leadership: Sustaining Wisdom, Humanity and Presence in Health and Social Care published in 2021
The first podcast, plus the introductory podcast, are available from the Leadership Academy
The King’s Fund | February 2022 | What is compassionate leadership?
Research shows that compassionate leadership has wide-ranging benefits for both staff and organisations. This short-read from The King’s Fund questions: What is compassionate leadership? It includes
What is compassionate leadership?
See also:
The King’s Fund An introduction to leading with kindness and compassion in health and social care [short course]
Future Learn & The King’s Fund | January 2022 | An introduction to leading with kindness and compassion in health and social care
This introductory three-week course from The King’s Fund is for anyone working in or interested in health and social care in its broadest sense, regardless of experience or role.
Learn what is meant by leading with kindness and compassion
It’s designed to introduce you to some of the foundations of leadership, kindness, and compassion. You’ll explore why these qualities matter now more than ever, and how to develop your personal practice of kind and compassionate leadership.
Overview of the mini course
Full details are available from Future Learn ( course is free, but requires registration with Future Learn)
The course is available to enrol now
Siemens | December 2021 | Reframing the Patient Experience A new scorecard for healthcare leaders
This publication builds on the earlier “Reframing the Patient Experience, released in 2018. It builds on the foundation laid by the paper and explores and applies the lessons learned during COVID-19. It also contains an updated scorecard. Shaped by the pandemic, this scorecard is more detailed and comprehensive, reflecting what must be the new reality in healthcare.
Perhaps its most interesting feature is the evolution of what patients expect from providers and what goes into
creating what will be perceived as a positive patient experience. From lower costs to easier access to greater
convenience, patients are very clear that these are no longer aspects of their experience on which they are
prepared to compromise. And more than ever before, patients are making it clear that they want to be treated
with humanity. They want respect, they want to be communicated to clearly, consulted on and included.
They want to feel safe and cared for (Siemens).
Siemens Reframing the Patient Experience: A new scorecard for healthcare leaders
The King’s Fund | 18 May 2021 | Decision-making in uncertain times
This short-read from The King’s Fund considers the following question: How do leaders approach decision-making when the challenges they face seem so intractable and the context so uncertain? Thinking clearly, acting wisely, and staying healthy must be goals for anyone leading anything at the moment, but complex and uncertain times can make these goals hugely challenging to realise.
Effective decision-making in contexts of uncertainty means slowing down and deepening our awareness of the kinds of problems we face. And it often means letting go; of old habits, tried and tested answers, and the idea that it is always the role of leaders to supply answers and certainty. Instead, when we don’t have answers, effective decision-making rests on our willingness to be curious and ability to inquire, ask the right questions, listen, experiment, notice, and learn.
Quality Improvement News 