HOW to implement the Long-Awaited England NHS Long Term Plan
Like many of us, I’ve seen several national NHS strategic transformation plans over the years, and remember commenting on the Scottish Government’s Green Paper ‘Working Together for a Healthier Scotland’ in 1998 during my Masters in Health Promotion and Health Education.
These kind of plans are aspirational, and hopefully also grounded in population health need, reducing inequality, evidence-based interventions, value for money, and underpinned by costed delivery plans.
The new England NHS Long Term Plan is helpful, however, we have been moving:
- from hospital to community
- from analogue to digital
- from sickness to prevention
for as long as I can remember!
FPH, ADPH, and RSPH Views
I particularly like the FPH, ADPH, and RSPH Statement commenting about the detail needed about increased investment in prevention, and action to tackle all of the commercial and social determinants of health. The statement also reminds the Government that plans are only of value if they turn into delivery, and that the culture of our health service needs to change to focus on and incentivise prevention.
‘Putting great leadership at the heart of our plans’
As far as I recall, this is the first time I have seen a conscious and deliberate commitment to improve both operational and clinical leadership and management at all levels, across all health settings, which I greatly welcome.
The emphasis will be on establishing ‘talent management systems’ and a new Management and Leadership Framework in autumn 2025 with a national development curriculum.
A new ‘College of Executive and Clinical Leadership’ will be established, and ‘world-class leadership’ will ‘need to be an ethos in the NHS’.
Clinical Leaders are ‘made, not born’
We know that leadership skills are behaviours which medical leaders and their colleagues in allied disciplines including public health, can learn to demonstrate over time. We also know that leadership training does not always translate into leadership behaviours and effectiveness.
What works in clinical leadership?
We know from four recent systematic reviews that medical leadership can be effectively developed, and demonstrates benefits at individual, clinical and organisational levels. The impact is amplified when individual learning needs are addressed through personalised needs assessment and goal setting, and that educational methods are more important than specific curriculum content; lack of a leadership development framework does not appear to prevent positive organisational outcomes.
Active learning methods such as coaching are the most effective
Active learning methods such as project work, simulation, discussions and reflections, are widely accepted to be a vital component of leadership development, and also increase organisational outcomes. On the job experimentation, mentoring, coaching, and use of reflective instruments are all active and effective methods of medical leader development.
When is coaching for doctors most effective?
Leadership and Executive Coaching for Doctors is most effective when delivered by coaches who are Individually Accredited by a professional body such as EMCC, and especially by Registered & Chartered Coaching Psychologists.
How do we take care of our medical leaders as well as develop them?
Medical Leadership roles are extremely psychologically demanding, with significant corporate responsibility, often little direct control, and are challenging even in resource-rich environments. Coaching Psychology, a new discipline within coaching and psychology has been found in meta-analyses to positively impact affective (emotional) outcomes more than other methods.
World-class coaching for world-class NHS medical and clinical leaders
I look forward to continuing to develop world-class medical leaders and world-class public health leaders. To my current and former clients: you know who you are and I know how skilled, committed, effective and world-class you are! If you’re wondering how to move to the next level in your medical leadership career, get in touch, I’d love to hear from you!
Read my peer-reviewed publications in BMJ Leader
Read my peer reviewed publications in BMJ Leader to find out more about the evidence-base of what works in medical and public health leadership development. There are links to the free pre-publication versions as well as to the published articles.
- Leadership coaching positively impacts the wellbeing of 80 medical & public health leaders (2023)
- Can coaching advance medical leadership development? (2024)
- Health Leader-as-Coach benefits the entire system (2024)
Dr Fiona Day is the world’s only Leadership Coach with advanced coaching psychology, medical and public health qualifications (MBChB, FFPH, BPS Chartered Psychologist in Coaching Psychology, EMCC Master Practitioner Coach & Mentor) and is in a unique position to help you and your teams to flourish. Fiona specialises in coaching medical and public health leaders, is a coach Supervisor, and an EQA Foundation Award Holder. Get 3 hours of FREE CPD with Fiona’s Health Career Success Programme here. Book a free confidential 30 minute Consultation with Fiona here. Subscribe and listen to her Podcast ‘Transformational Thinking for Health Leaders’ here.
