Lead the Way. Lead General Management.
Your future begins right here: laying the foundations for a progressive career in leadership and management.
Good management touches on every aspect of delivering high-quality healthcare. We know that from many independent assessments, such as the Audit Commission’s report on progress against the NHS Plan which found that the “key to improvement is better management of resources.”
And research by the Centre for Clinical Psychology and Healthcare Research at the University of Northumbria concluded that leadership in the NHS has been shown to affect the quality of patient care and safety.
This programme is aimed at equipping you with the skills, knowledge and confidence essential to making real improvements at the frontline of healthcare delivery.
The Scheme
Over two years, the scheme aims to fast-track trainees by giving them the level of ability required for director level appointments.
The scheme offers ample opportunity to gain practical experience along with the complementary elements essential to giving trainees the best possible opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and personal qualities to succeed as future leaders in the roles of executive directors and chief executives.
The practical experience requirements have been informed by recent national frameworks which describe the competences required for this level of appointment, including the Department of Health’s framework for PCT chief executives and a draft framework for chief executives for NHS Scotland. And to ensure the practical experience element remains relevant, it is reviewed and updated in line with feedback from steering group members, chief executives, current and ex-trainees, as well as the Department of Health, Monitor and the Institute of Healthcare Management.
You’ll cover a range of activities as part of a continual learning process and then be able to demonstrate capacity to assume a senior position. Broad in nature, these activities are designed to be achievable across all organisations, illustrate how experience might be gained, are appropriate to local needs and provide opportunities for integrated working.
As trainees will come from diverse backgrounds and have varying levels of competence, individuals will have the opportunity to decide, in consultation with programme and placement managers, how their practical experience element is organised.
The executive director or chief executive role
Even though the drive to improve services for patients and service users, and achieve best value, means a constantly changing organisation, the fundamental roles of an Executive Director and a Chief Executive remain unaltered, although the context and emphasis changes all the time.
The key responsibilities of a chief executive, which also apply to executive directors and senior managers, are:
• to establish, lead and direct strategic direction
• to build organisational capabilities
• to lead operations
• to ensure financial viability
• to lead a learning organisation
• to lead effective relationships with stakeholders.
For more information on management roles within the NHS please visit the NHS Careers website.