The final report of the NHS Next Stage Review - High Quality Care for All – identified leadership as a key issue in developing quality services.  The National Leadership Council (NLC) is tasked with supporting this priority and its vision is for:

An NHS with outstanding leadership and leadership development at every level to ensure high quality care for all.

Following the Next Stage Review, the Department of Health set up the Advisory Group on Assuring the Quality of Senior NHS Managers which published its report in February 2010.  Recommendations (page 33 of the report) included: the development and consultation on a new statement of professional ethics for NHS Managers and the development and consultation on professional standards of competence for senior NHS leaders.

For the latest information on developments on the five areas of development (clinical leadership,
board development, Top leaders, Inclusion, Emerging leaders), go to the Department of Health website at National Leadership Council and the National NHS Leadership website.

The Department of Health published Inspiring Leaders: Leadership for Quality in January 2009. This guidance outlines a systematic approach to talent and leadership planning. It has been designed with four SHA health economies (including East of England) and system-wide engagement to provide a framework for regional and local talent and leadership plans.

To access the key findings and priority actions for 2009/10 the NHS East of England Talent and Leadership Plan Executive Summary 2009/10 can be accessed at - Executive Summary.  For details of the NHS East of England leadership development and talent management programmes, click here.  Virtual networking is available via 'dialogue' - the SHA social networking site.

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Leadership and Management Resource Guide. A directory was published by the East of England Public Sector Sector Skills Councils in April 2009. It lists resources available to the Public Service Employers.
• National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership - see the Management Standards Centre website.
• The Index of Leadership Trust 2009 was published in September 2009 by the Institute of Leadership and Management and looks at the 6 elements by which the trustworthiness of leaders and managers is measured examined against a number of factors, such as size of organisation, age and gender etc. It found trust in CEOs of public sector organisation was generally lower than in the private sector. Trust was low in large organisations which have a high percentage of long serving employees and a high turnover of CEOs and line managers.
• Masters Degree in Medical Leadership has been developed by The Royal College of Physicians in partnership with Birbeck College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for senior doctors aspiring to leadership roles in the health sector. For further information go to: Medical Leadership Overview.
• NHS Leadership Awards 2009.  The winners of the NHS Leadership awards have been announced - click here for details.  Patrick Geoghegan, Chief Executive of the South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, was the winner of The NHS Leader of the Year category.