A focus on culture and leadership

The Interim NHS People Plan was published by NHS Improvement, NHS England and Health Education England this June. It sets out a vision for how people working in the NHS will be supported to deliver care and identifies the actions required to achieve this (NHS Improvement, 2019). The plan includes a specific chapter on improving leadership culture and aims to role model the leadership behaviours of collaboration, inclusivity and compassion.

The plan further expands on the rationale for inclusive and compassionate leadership, to ensure that all staff are listened to, understood and supported, and that leaders at every level of the health system demonstrably reflect the talents and diversity of people working in health and care services and the communities they serve.

In theory, this all sounds like a sensible approach—but as leaders, where do we start? My Trust has just begun a 2-year programme that was developed by NHS Improvement, the Centre for Creative Leadership and The King's Fund (2019) to develop cultures that enable and sustain continuously improving, safe, high-quality, compassionate care. The programme is split into three phases: