The new leadership and management framework

The Department of Health and Social Care recently launched the new NHS Leadership and Management Framework, which sets clear expectations for all NHS leaders and managers, including line managers. It’s a national framework describing what excellent leadership and management looks like across every setting, profession and level of responsibility. The framework provides a shared language for development, progression to support the development of competent, compassionate and inclusive leaders, better staff experiences and, ultimately, improved care for patients.

Organisations are asked to begin embedding the framework and self-assessment tool in development and appraisal conversations.

There are three overarching focus areas with outlines for each of four levels of leadership and management (new leaders and first line managers to board level leaders and managers); managing people and resources; delivering across health and social care and personal impact.  The framework also includes a self-assessment tool to identify and support further development with a guide for staff and managers to work through together.

The core principles in the new leadership and management code are:

• Be accountable
• Show integrity
• Be curious
• Be inclusive
• Be collaborative
• Be compassionate

PCC can help you consider some of the framework fundamentals including how to embed and socialise some of the principles in the three overarching focus areas, personal impact, delivering across health and social care and managing people and resources.

Particularly relevant is our experience in delivering leadership development training and coaching that focusses on:

• collaborative working
• personal productivity and wellbeing
• building teams and communication.

Collaborative working, culture, confidence and communication are integral components of our leadership support, for instance the Confident leader programme.  Hundreds of NHS colleagues have attended the seven session programme, delivered by an experienced executive coach and have benefitted from modules on leading change, understanding people, including Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), collaborative working, the leader as a coach and personal resilience covering confidence, communication and influencing.

Our coaches work with a warm, engaging and inclusive style using an action learning approach including on our leadership programme for women, Building confident women leaders which encourages confidence and curiosity, teaches about collaboration and trust and ultimately provides a space for leaders to self-reflect and identify areas for development and career progression.

Our courses and programmes are designed to support leaders at all levels as they develop further in terms of compassion, inclusive leadership and competence.  We believe that leadership is largely about how we behave, not just what we do and learning to self-assess, self-coach, reflect and share experience is an effective and time efficient way of developing personally and professionally.  We can also work with you to co-design team/organisation specific support for your organisation at any level from line manager to board.

Get in touch to hear more about how we can support you as you embed the framework. Contact helen.ellis@pcc.nhs.uk.