Introduction:
This report provides an overview of my learning and personal development gained with the Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership Scholarship.
The scholarship facilitated my being able to develop a bespoke program of leadership. This consisted of an examination of my personal leadership style and enabled the development of tailored opportunities to meet my needs as well as supporting me to explore a project which contributed to the improvement of care for people using services. By being part of the cohort of leaders from across health and care I was able to extend my network and gain valuable learning from nurses who work in other disciplines and settings.
Background:
I am a senior nurse who has worked for the majority of her career in adult social care. I work nationally and influence policy ensuring that it has impact and relevance to people using services at practice level. I applied for this scholarship in order to assist me to understand my leadership skills; how I can use those skills to have greater reach and impact particularly in the context of health and integration.
Learning and development:
The range of initial assessments helped me to identify my strengths but also my areas for development. In addition, I was able to identify the type of leadership program that I wanted to undertake. I also determined that in addition to meeting with my mentor, I would meet with a coach to enable deeper reflections and learning. I attended Leading Change in Organisational Renewal which was a residential course along with all of the fellow scholars in my cohort. The learning and benefits from this were not immediately apparent, however as my scholarship year continued I was able to reflect back on and look at the learning that had taken place and apply it to every day circumstances. The key learning was to keep asking why; to keep exploring so that the root cause of issues could be attended to. I then attended RADA. This was a significant practical course. It allowed me to consider how to deliver complex messages in a way which I was able to feel in control; not defensive and consider how ‘to land’ an important message. The RADA course enabled me to analyse and enhance my communication style and methodology.
I attended the Windsor Leadership Trust Experienced Leaders Programme. This course had been recommended right at the beginning of my assessment period as well as by a fellow scholar. It proved to be invaluable when I commenced my scholarship. I wanted to be able to see, accept and believe what others saw in me. I wanted to be able to hold up a mirror to myself; to develop skills and confidence. I didn’t want to appear to be arrogant, but I did want to be assertive and accept the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills I have.
Developing self-belief has been a core component of my learning; accepting what I know; exploring areas that need to be improved upon and then having the confidence to put these new found skills into practice. Putting them into practice has been transformational.
A project that improves outcomes for people who use services
I chose the theme of integration (Health and Social Care). In England it is not mandated in legislation. However, in the devolved administrations within the UK, legislation now supports integration of health and social care. It is my belief that true integration only takes place when two or more people from different professions (or different parts of the same profession) intentionally believe that the outcome for the person using the service is of paramount importance and then set about making it a reality. They metaphorically wrap themselves around the person to achieve the outcome the person desires.
I visited Northern Ireland; Scotland and Wales and spoke in confidence (under Chatham House Rules) to key health and social care leaders. Their knowledge and experience has led me to believe that relationships are at the heart of integration. People often act in silos and out of non-intentional ignorance because they do not know what they do not know about services that people need, and which they themselves cannot provide. Social Care is often perceived as the poor relation to health and yet it provides so much for the individual and brings benefits to their health and well-being as well as to the wider health and care system. I also examined how the NHS England New Models of Care programme has worked. Excellent outcomes have been achieved for both the person using the service and the wider system. However, the biggest impact are the relationships birthed out of conversations that people otherwise would not have had.
I have been able to take this learning and my thinking and share it in wider settings. I presented a masterclass at the Florence Nightingale Foundation conference in February 2017, and also presented at the CNO Summit (England). I am in negotiations with NHS England regarding the production of an animated clip to assist people in asking the questions that they ordinarily do not; exploring what it is they do not know in order to achieve an integrated outcome for people using services.
Reflections:
I have thoroughly enjoyed my scholarship year. I have benefited immensely. I approached it with enthusiasm and wanted to glean all that I could from every opportunity that was afforded me. The highlights were RADA and the Windsor Leadership Trust Experience Leaders Programme. The nature and style of learning suited my development style. It also afforded me the opportunity to learn with people outside of health and social care. Colleagues have fed back that I am significantly more confident and assured in who I am and what I have to offer, my knowledge and my skill. I now feel confident in giving my opinion, which is based on years of experience of working in health and social care, informing the national agenda and ensuring that it meets practice requirements for nurses in adult social care. In addition, I have been able to help my colleagues in the NHS to understand nurses and nursing in adult social care. I have also taken the time to understand the world in which my NHS colleagues operate. As a result of the programme, I am now engaged in a wider range of health initiatives bringing the social care perspective to my colleagues in different arenas.
I have since met with a range of other scholars, both those who have gone before me from my cohort and those that have just commenced a journey. It is an honour to be able to give back and assist other people in the journey of self-discovery and their improvement of care to people using services.