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.

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.

Systems Leadership Development Offers

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

The Systems Leadership Approach

The Systems Leadership Approach introduces a range of perspectives that will empower you as a leader to approach your current situation with a renewed focus on how to foster collaboration across diverse healthcare needs and stakeholders. We’ll dive into the heart of Systems Leadership and consider how theory relates to your day-to-day role. By exploring real-world case studies, sharing best practice and insights these workshops will inspire you to lead purposefully and consider the ripple effect of System Leadership at all levels.

We are running 2 cohorts of this new programme, and individuals can book on 1 or all 5 of the sessions. Each session takes 30 delegates and even though this was filled within a very short space of time advertising it – we will be evaluating it and then considering further commissioning and even a possible train the trainer version – so please watch this space.

Session 1: Leading with System Leadership: Collaborative Approaches

Session 2: Leading with Care: Compassionate and Inclusive Leadership

Session 3: Leading for Impact: Understanding Systems Thinking

Session 4: Leading Together: Embracing Distributed Leadership

Session 5: Leading for Change: The Leadership Qualities that Matter in Inclusive Systems

Leading Transformation for Integrated Care (now complete and 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 (now complete, if you are interested in exploring this concept a book is available)

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

We are very proud to be able to support our 11 Integrated Care Executive Boards with development, supporting them to face the challenges of the ever-increasing demands in our current climate – we do this via requests from our Chief People Officers and are able to offer a tiered approach. We currently work as a strategic partner to our Integrated Care Boards and use established and evidence based frameworks to support his. Below you will find one of those frameworks which was produced by the NHS Leadership Academy in readiness for the newly established board in 2022