Systems Leadership

The system is increasingly complex and fast paced, this requires adaptable individuals who are able to influence enable and support their workforce across the boundaries of power to ensure the delivery of compassionate care. This requires our leaders and managers to be skilled in systems leadership, whilst also working to create the architecture required at place, community, and geographical level to deliver high quality, person-centred care.

In order to give the best possible service to our citizens and communities, leaders in health and social care now need to work closer together, collaborate more and learn new leadership skills to ensure the success of the formation of the Integrated Care Systems that were formed on 1^st July 2022, due to the Care Act (2022).

Integrated care systems (ICSs) are partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, and to improve the lives of people who live and work in their area. This short clip from by the Kinds Fund will help you understand the formation in more detail.

Our leaders now need to learn more skills to help them and their people with these new ways of working. We need to collaborate, listen, co-design, let go and understand more the complexities of how our partners work together to improve care for our citizens and communities.

In partnership with our national and regional colleagues we have complimented our Leadership Development offer to include system leadership programmes, workshops, conferences and bespoke support to help partners working across our integrated care systems to have conversations, learn, share, develop and improve.

Foundations in System Leadership

The Foundations in System Leadership; collaborating for health and care programme is open to all colleagues working in health, care, local authorities and voluntary sector partnerships, who have a desire to improve the way they collaborate across organisational, professional and hierarchical boundaries to design and deliver better health outcomes for the communities they serve.

The no cost programme is hosted on FutureLearn, an online learning platform utilised by world-class universities and organisations. The recommended structure is a 5 week learning journey, with approximately 2-3 hours study time per week. You can click on this link to find out more or download this available flyer.

Systems Leadership Development Offers

This year we are proud to be working with our regional partners to deliver an excellent Systems Leadership offer;

Cross-Functional Leadership: Integrating Perspectives in Health and Social Care

This programme, designed by the London Interdisciplinary School, is to support anyone involved in collaborative, integrated working in Health and Social care. You might be leading a multi-disciplinary team, partnering with other providers, or working across services and sectors.

Leading Anchor Organisations Masterclasses

The 7 regional academies have partnered with Health Anchors Learning Network (HALN) and CLES, the national organisation for local economies, to develop a series of autumn masterclasses based on growing the knowledge about Anchor Institutes.

Leading Transformation for Integrated Care (now complete but recordings available)

Colleagues working in health, social care and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector are welcome to join us for our new series of 90-minute, virtual sessions. We have different topics for you to choose from which have been co-designed with the seven Regional Hubs of the NHS Leadership Academy and will be hosted by our delivery partner, Tricordant.

So what is this series about? Based on insights and experience drawn from work with a number of Integrated Care Systems across England these sessions will explore what partnership working looks like across teams and organisations.

What does this mean for leaders? It is co-designed with input from local representatives to understand their current challenges and opportunities. The aim is to enhance participants’ capability to think and act as leaders within systems.

This series is for anyone involved in change and transformation, delivery of new integrated care services, organisation development and partnership development working in health and social care systems across England.

System Convening

This masterclass is for people who are involved in complex initiatives and are looking for tools and perspectives for making a difference across multiple boundaries or silos of practice, institutions and geography. The goal is to help you think through a strategy for dealing with your project in its broader context of often-competing initiatives, perspectives, expectations, and politics.

System Leadership Behaviours Self-Assessment

System leadership and leading across the system brings many levels of complexity.

Brand new for this year, the System Leadership Behaviours Self-Assessment has been designed as a multi-functional development tool to support all leaders working across a system or place-based environment with self-reflection and assessment.

It will support individuals to identify their strengths, areas for development and personal readiness for System Leaders.

Click here to read more.

System Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship – Level 7

The System Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship supports decision-makers in strategic and leadership roles to understand and address complex and sometimes even ‘wicked’ problems through provision of expert systemic analysis, advice and facilitation.

Click here to find out more

Bespoke Systems Development

As an integral part of the NHS landscape, our team understands the importance of both organisational and system context, recognising that the culture, language and influencing factors from one locality to another are inherently different and that a one size fits all approach simply does not work. With a proven track record in working with acute, mental health and community providers as well as systems, Local Authorities and social care organisations, we are strategically placed to offer a holistic view of the NHS landscape and work with you to understand your current challenges and to co-produce effective interventions at system level.

Working with a highly-skilled pool of experts we are now able to meet the growing demand from our stakeholders for bespoke interventions at system level. Following an initial enquiry, we will arrange to have a conversation with you to fully understand your objectives, after which we will work with you to design a bespoke intervention for your needs, requirements and desired outcomes.

Collaboration to Improve Care in our Communities

This innovative place-based leadership development programme addresses grounded, real-time challenges in the provision of joined-up care across health and social care systems. Aimed at those in frontline management roles in a care setting who are looking to build their leadership skills and capabilities and are willing to participate with curiosity for getting involved in shared systems priorities within their communities of care. This practical programme is delivered over three months using a mix of virtual modules and small group learning sets focused on developing shared solutions to the issues that care managers face day-to-day.

The CtIC programme is currently in the test-bed phase with three Integrated Care Systems (ICS’s) trialling it within the Midlands region. Subject to the outcomes of ongoing evaluation, we hope to be able to offer further opportunities for Midlands ICS’s to engage with the programme during 2022-23.

Systems Leadership e-Book

View the NHS Leadership Academy eBook for more about developing excellence in system leadership.

Other Offers from Midlands Leadership Academy

Leadership Development

Our comprehensive leadership development offer is available to all those aspiring to and in leadership roles which will support you on your system leadership journey.

Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching and mentoring is often perceived as the single most effective development opportunity that a leader can access. Whether you are aspiring to a leadership role or are in an Executive Leadership role we can help you.

Leadership Learning Zone

Our Leadership Learning Zone features a suite of 22 leadership learning modules including An Introduction to leadership, Coaching, Talent Management, Equality and Diversity, System Leadership, Resilience, Unconscious Bias and more. Another 10 System Leadership Modules will soon be added.

Onboarding Resources for Newly appointed ICB Leaders

Explore curated resources for newly appointed ICB leaders including websites, articles, reports, papers, videos, and podcasts around areas such as setting strategy and delivering long term transformation, leading for social justice and health equality and building trusted relationships with partners and communities.

Find out more on the Senior Leader Onboarding and Support website

Our locally compiled, easy to use resource, also brings together all the offer available both nationally and regionally to support those who are newly appointed.

System support offer June 22

ICS Board Development Support

Leading this fundamental shift towards statutory ICS development requires a systems organisational development approach, at all levels of subsidiarity, however, the ICB and ICP, will play a pivotal role in governing effectively to build patient, citizen and communities confidence that their wellbeing, health and care is in safe hands.

The Leadership Academy will support ICS with ICB-ICP Board development and systems OD for all levels of ICS subsidiarity and this offer will be available soon.