Search results

The improving global health (IGH) programme is a leadership development programme that aims to develop leadership skills and behaviours alongside quality improvement methodology in National Health Service (NHS) employees in a global health setting. Through collaboration, experiential learning and mentorship, the programme aims to produce both vertical and horizontal leadership development in its participants. This paper aims to describe the programme and its impact, in terms of leadership development, in a sample of participants.

Open coding and thematic analysis of leadership development summaries (LDS) completed by 39 returned IGH participants were conducted. LDS are written on completion of the overseas placement; participants reflect on their personal leadership development against the nine dimensions of the NHS Healthcare Leadership Model (2013).

These IGH programme participants have reported a change in the way they think, behave and see the world. A development in sense of self and experience in developing team members are the two most commonly reported themes. Adaptability, communication, overcoming boundaries, collaborative working, “big picture” thinking and strategic thinking were also identified.

The study is limited by the relatively low number of completed LDS. More work is needed to understand the long-term effect of this type of leadership development on the NHS. Other leadership development programmes should consider focussing on vertical and horizontal leadership development.

This more granular understanding of the leadership skills and behaviours developed and how it is the programme’s design that creates it, has not previously been described.

Improving Global Health is a one year leadership scheme which places trainee doctors and more experienced nurses, midwives and AHPs in a developing country (Cambodia or Tanzania) to develop leadership and quality improvement skills while contributing to Millennium goals in the developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to report on an independent evaluation of the programme, with the purpose of highlighting lessons learned to inform other leadership development initiatives, and in particular to highlight the vital importance of a receptive NHS environment if maximum value is to be gained from investment in clinical leadership.

The evaluation methodology comprised literature review; review of documentation, including on line questionnaires to Fellows; interviews with stakeholders and attendance at key scheme events in July‐September 2011. Fellows who had completed an overseas placement in either Cambodia or Tanzania during 2009‐2010 were interviewed using a semi structured questionnaire. Mentors and Steering Group members were interviewed using an amended version of the Fellows' questionnaire.

Impact was found at the level of personal development; working collaboratively; and understanding the value of audit, teaching and quality improvement. There was some impact on the NHS, however, the majority of Fellows struggled to find opportunities to apply their learning immediately on return from their overseas placement.

Resource and time constraints meant that achievements in meeting Millennium goals were excluded from the evaluation; the authors' working assumption is that only Fellows who enjoyed the Fellowship responded to the invitation to take part; judging the extent to which the Fellowship meets its goal of creating a cadre of improvement champions in the NHS will require time to elapse.

Lessons from implementation of this Fellowship scheme are transferable to the wider NHS.

The paper provides lessons on the design of leadership schemes intended to develop quality improvement skills, particularly for clinicians at an early career stage, illustrates the potential of a placement in a developing country to achieve this, and highlights the importance of a receptive NHS environment to realise maximum benefit from investment in leadership development.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel approach to leadership development for UK healthcare workers, while contributing to health service improvement in a developing country.

A quality improvement faculty are used to teach and mentor National Health Service (NHS) International Development Clinical Fellows in quality improvement (QI) methods. Using accepted QI methods, sensitive and practical improvement projects are selected in partnership with local people in Cambodia in order to start achieving United Nations Millennium Development Goals related to child and maternal health. Simultaneously, NHS International Fellows gain an unparalleled opportunity to develop their leadership skills, which should benefit the NHS on their return to the UK.

Healthcare quality improvement methods, developed in First World countries, are transferable to the developing world and also function as a vehicle for developing leadership skills in experienced healthcare workers.

This leadership development programme fits with the stated aims of the Global Health Partnerships report, which encourages the NHS to play a global role in healthcare development in the developing world. Other First World healthcare systems could adopt this leadership development method to both improve the leadership capability of their own staff while also making a significant contribution to less well‐developed healthcare systems.

The combination of leadership development through quality improvement is novel – promising to benefit both providers and recipients.