DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 20 January 2009
- National
Leadership Council takes shape; recruitment begins -
- New
Talent & Leadership guidance launched -
Health Minister Lord Darzi and NHS Chief Executive David
Nicholson unveiled plans today for a new National Leadership
Council (NLC) that will help nurture the next generation of NHS leaders.
The Department of Health today also published new guidance for
talent and leadership planning that will help Strategic Health
Authorities design their own leadership development plans.
Improving leadership across the health service was a key
commitment within High Quality Care for All, Lord Darzi's
review of the NHS. The NLC will be responsible for building a
strong culture of leadership across the health service. Some of
its key areas of work will be:
* Gathering intelligence and evidence
* Setting
standards
* Taking a strategic role in commissioning
leadership development programmes
* Ensuring that leadership
capacity is improved across the NHS
The NLC will be a sub-committee of the NHS Management Board. It
will have up to 18 members including five part-time leads for
priority areas: Clinical Leadership, Top Leaders, Board
Development, Emerging Leaders and Inclusion. The seven confirmed
appointments so far are:
* David Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive (Chair)
* Sir Bruce
Keogh, NHS Medical Director
* Clare Chapman, Director General
Workforce NHS and Social Care
* Dame Christine Beasley, Chief
Nursing Officer
* Bill Moyes, Monitor Chair
* Cynthia
Bower, CQC Chief Executive
* Steve Barnett, NHS Confederation
Chief Executive
The Department of Health has now launched an open recruitment
process to appoint the remaining members. The results of this
process and details of the first meeting will be announced in March.
Health Minister Lord Darzi said:
"Strengthening leadership across the service is vital as we
enter this new stage of reform. Leadership development must start
with every individual and organisation in healthcare. We have a
responsibility to learn continuously, seek development and career
opportunities, and spot talent. This is where the National
Leadership Council comes in. The Council will act as a guardian
for leadership in the NHS, setting standards and campaigning for change."
NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson said:
"We are extremely lucky to already have fantastic leaders
throughout the NHS. But if we are to realise our vision of an NHS
that puts quality at the heart of everything it does, we need to
embrace more leaders from all levels in the service and from a
wider range of backgrounds.
"The NLC will champion the new priority being attached to
leadership in the NHS, to ensure that the system supports high
quality leadership and to challenge it where it does not."
Mark Goldman, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Foundation
Trust, said:
"Timing is everything. If ever there was a moment for
leadership in the public sector this is it. It is a time for all
leaders in the NHS, from all backgrounds, to stand together and
support this nations' health and the National Leadership
Council is perfectly positioned to make a difference."
Talent and Leadership guidance
The new talent and leadership
guidance is based on extensive feedback from SHAs and best
practice across the NHS. It sets out how best to assess current
leadership capacity and demand, as well as setting out
collaborative methods to meet gaps between demand and supply.
By July, SHAs will be expected to have assessed the state of
talent and leadership across their area and set out measures for
fostering talent at a regional level.
NHS Leadership Awards Scheme
The Department of Health today
also announced more details on the creation of a new NHS
Leadership Awards Scheme that will champion leadership and quality
throughout the NHS.
Nominations will be peer-to-peer and service-wide. The seven
categories are:
* NHS Leader of the Year
* NHS Quality Champion of the
Year
* NHS Innovator of the Year
* NHS Change Leader of
the Year
* NHS Mentor of the Year
* NHS Partner of the
Year
* NHS Award for Inspiration
The website for the NHS Leadership Awards Scheme goes live on 1
March, when the nominations open. However, from 2 February the
website will be online with information about the nominations
process. Cynthia Bower, Chief Executive of the CQC, will chair
the judging panel.
The awards ceremony will take place on the evening of the NHS
Chief Executive's Conference in November.
Notes to Editors:
1. The 'Inspiring Leaders: leadership for quality'
talent and leadership guidance is available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_093395
2. The Department commissioned a team based at Cambridge
University's Judge Business School to undertake the
Leadership Council Design Process, which involved engaging with
stakeholders to develop the scope and purpose of the Leadership
Council so that it can best deliver real benefits in quality to
the NHS. The consultation process led to the production of Final
Recommendations and Major Messages and these documents are
available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/DH_093342
3. For all media enquiries, please call the Department of Health
Newsdesk on 020 7210 5221.