This report provides an in-depth analysis of my learning and development as a Florence Nightingale Foundation / Health Education England Leadership Scholar during 2014/2015. Beginning with a series of leadership style baseline assessments and 360 degree feedback and culminating in a dedicated personal development plan and learning contract, the report will offer an analysis on how I have gone about meeting my objectives and achieved these while furthering the ambition of my organisation and indirectly the care of patients.
When I applied to become a scholar I emphasised that my ambition was to be as effective an executive nurse as possible, through continuing to learn and develop whilst building my portfolio of experience and that I recognised the scholarship opportunity as fundamental to achieving this.
I referred to my immediate goals being to:
- Develop and embed a reputation as a high performing Board nurse who demonstrates a continual and assuring focus on safety, quality and best experience.
- Future proof the nursing and AHP leadership across the Trust, with a particular focus on effective clinical leadership.
Building on this I said that my long term goals were to:
- Be an Executive Nurse in one of the top 5% safest and highest quality Trusts in the country.
- Build an international reputation as an executive nurse and integrated care service leader.
I indicated a belief that the breadth of the leadership scholarship and the opportunities to learn and develop personally, collectively and organisationally would enable the above goals to be achieved, alongside those of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, and set out my personal vision for nursing and health services by 2020, that:
- Public support for the nursing professions will be stronger;
- Nursing leadership will be visible, proactive and demonstrating highest quality impact at every level;
- Health services will be increasingly population and public health focused;
- There will be a stronger partnership between service and academic institutions influencing the development of integrated care;
- There will be a pathway for the best student nurses to combine a clinical and practice development/academic R&D programme to doctoral level within 5 years of registration.
The scholarship has afforded me a wide range of opportunities to learn and develop with fellow scholars through workshops, courses and study days, each of which has been analysed. In addition to this, coaching has assisted me to build up a repertoire of political tactics such as utilising resources internal and external to the Trust, maximising networks of support that include key relationships. I have dedicated specific attention in the report to the practice improvement project aimed at developing frontline leadership effectiveness through creating caring cultures across our Trust. Twenty-five participants commenced the Foundation of Nursing Studies facilitated programme in October 2015. In addition to this, five Ward Sisters are developing techniques in continuous quality improvement, aimed at equipping them to positively lead sustainable change on the front line. The ‘Creating Caring Cultures’ programme aims to help nurse-led teams to create healthcare workplaces that are conducive to the delivery of high quality care and that provide a supportive place for staff to work. The full programme is being evaluated to demonstrate the objectives are being achieved, the impact this has on frontline leadership and organisational culture and will be reported by June 2016. For the purpose of my scholarship report, I have indicated the preliminary findings from the evaluation to March 2016 with a particular focus on visible executive leadership and caring for staff.
The report also details how between February 2015 and March 2016 I took part in a number of personalised development programmes as a scholar and attended two Florence Nightingale Foundation conferences, both of which I presented at. I participated in the ‘Leading change through organisational renewal’ course in February 2015, the ‘Co-consulting’ learning day with fellow scholars in April, a facilitated day developing political intelligence at Westminster in June, followed by three days at the Royal Society for Dramatic Art (RADA) in September developing ‘communication skills for leadership’. Each of these programmes has been individually valuable and was the subject of my quarterly reports to the Foundation.
In the first week of November 2015 I undertook the Cranfield University ‘Director as Strategic Leader’ course and set myself the following expectations and learning objectives, each of which was achieved through completing the programme:
– Learning from the group to develop tools and techniques that will help me every day;
– Learning up-to-date management thinking from a peer group that are representative of a wide range of public and private, national and international industry;
– Thinking more broadly;
– Keeping focused on working at a strategic level and personal reflection on strategic leadership;
– Effective management of diverse personalities and situations
– Making senior management more accountable (managing down)
– Political will versus organisational leadership (managing up)
– Inspiring teams
– Getting better work-life-balance.
The week at Cranfield was an exceptional learning experience for me, influenced by expert facilitation and teaching, the enthusiasm and wide-ranging experiences of the group and shared commitment to get the most from the opportunity. I was the only NHS leader on the programme, but the wealth of knowledge from public and private sectors was unique, and the forming of a post-programme alumni will enable me to further this learning going forward.
My report also gives a particular focus to the international study tour I undertook to the USA and Canada and explained how I developed a personalised programme and learning plan in line with my learning contract and leadership development objectives. The reader will be able to assess throughout this report how successfully I have achieved my objectives at all stages of the scholarship and I have concluded by summarising how the year has enhanced my leadership style, developed my confidence at a Board and national level, had a positive impact on practice and positively influenced my career. I have offered a number of personal recommendations for my future development and ended by expressing my gratitude to the Florence Nightingale Foundation for affording me this highly valued scholarship opportunity.
My thanks also go to Sir Keith Pearson and Health Education England for their sponsorship of the scholarship and my mentor Peter Blythin for his counsel.