Leadership

The 2021 RCEM curriculum has threads of leadership throughout the Generic Professional Capabilities (GPC) and the 12 Specialty Learning Outcomes (SLOs). From an intermediate level SLO 12 – Manage, Administer and Lead – focusses on specific leadership aspects within the Emergency Department.

The EM Leaders programme has resources that can be added as evidence of learning, progress, and attainment along with other work-based place assessments, formal courses or reflective practice.

EM Leaders Framework

The following resources will help guide trainees and trainers to understand how leadership will form part of the training and development of EM trainees.

Websites

• Gwella Compassionate Leadership Hub
• Academi Wales – Short Courses & Masterclasses.
  • Run a series of short development courses open to managers and leaders across all Welsh public services. These are short interventions, designed to help you quickly develop a specific aspect of your leadership skills.
• Academi Wales – Conversations on Leadership Podcasts
• Academi Wales – Sowing Seeds Series
  • Sowing Seeds is a series of learning resources (PDFs) from Academi Wales that explore topics such as leadership, organizational development, and personal development.

Reading/Literature:

• Compassionate Leadership: Sustaining Wisdom, Humanity and Presence in Health and Social Care – Michael West
• The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability – Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman
• Journey to the Emerald City – Roger Connors and Tom Smith
• The Leadership Book – Neil Jurd
• Reinventing Organizations Resources – Frederic Laloux
• Group Dyna-Mix: Investigating Team Dynamics, from Leaders to Corporate Gatekeepers – Maria Katsarou-Makin
• Compassionate Leadership – Sustaining Wisdom, Humanity and Presence in Health and Social Care. Michael A West.
• Other People’s Shoes, 40 questions for leaders and managers. Ken Jarrold CBE.
• Wilful Blindness, Margaret Heffernan
• Dare to Lead, Brene Brown

This is a leadership programme led by RCEM in partnership with Health Education England and NHS Improvement/England and funded and supported in Wales by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW). It has been designed to develop the leadership skills of those working in the Emergency Department and is the first bespoke leadership training programme developed for any speciality.

The goal is to improve the quality of the leadership skills deployed in the ED, so we are better prepared to work, make decisions and manage the challenging and ever-changing environment of the Emergency Department. It will prepare you to manage any shift in the ED and develop the skills and knowledge necessary to manage the team, the service and yourself.

There are 9 e-learning modules on the e-LfH hub which cover all aspects of the programme, divided into two stages. These may be completed at any time but will be used to enhance and complement the regional leadership teaching. Each module has a worksheet that can be uploaded and used as evidence on your portfolio

There are two sections of the EM Leaders Programme;

• EMLeaders Stage 1 – Core Sessions
  • Leading Self
  • Leading Teams
  • Leading Systems
    
    
• EMLeaders Stage 2 – Follow-on Sessions
  • Leading Culture
  • Leading Service
  • Leading People
  • Leading Change
  • Leading Quality
  • Leading Strategy

Please see below a summary of each of the modules.

Leading self 

Clinical staff need to work effectively within teams. This session explores how to lead teams effectively in Emergency Medicine. 

Leading Teams 

This session explores the key themes around self and how that knowledge can be used to create positive influences for the Learner and those around them. 

Leading Systems

This module explores systems within emergency care and the NHS in relation to leadership challenges that emergency physicians face and analyses them as clinicians within a complex environment. It also explores the differences between leadership and management as those roles work together to influence within these complex systems

Leading Culture 

This module focuses on the relationship between leadership and culture. It is recommended to complete the Leading Self module in full, including the reflection worksheet prior to starting. There are themes and learning within Leading Self that are built upon within the session and will help Learners to have a deeper understanding of what is covered. 

Leading Service 

This module focuses on leading the Emergency Service. The principles of leadership, however, are applicable to all parts of the NHS. It will have relevance to all practitioners within Emergency Medicine, whether in training or a new or established Consultant. This will support those either in a service lead role or those aspiring to lead the service in part or in full at some future date. 

Leading People 

This module covers what an organisation is, managing and leading people in an organisation, having difficult conversations and conflict resolution. 

Leading Change 

This module focuses on leading change in Emergency Department teams. The wider systems in which Emergency Medicine operates are becoming progressively complex. Implementing successful change ideas increasingly requires an understanding of change theory and models that can help steer through common challenges. This module highlights a number of these and provides examples of their practical use within Emergency Medicine. This module will support those completing quality improvement work/projects. 

Leading Quality 

This module explores what quality is within healthcare, how to define ‘Quality’ for the individual, team, and service, to recognise how poor-quality behaviours occur and how to encourage good quality care through leadership. This module will support those completing quality improvement work/projects. 

Leading Strategy 

This module explores when to apply strategy and the subsequent skills needed for an adaptive strategic leader. This module will support those completing quality improvement work/projects.

“This exciting, unique one-year opportunity has been successfully running since 2013. The culture of leadership is changing in the modern NHS, with more emphasis on leadership and management training in undergraduate/postgraduate studies. The future of healthcare depends on credible clinical leaders. The WCLF programme provides training and hands-on experience in clinical leadership and management. The scheme aims to recruit and develop the most aspiring clinical leaders of the future.”

Read more here

There are 3 trainers with roles in leadership development, all are happy for you to contact them directly with any questions, concerns or ideas for leadership development.

• Sally Jones (Lead for Leadership)
• Nirmal James (Quality Improvement) 
• Rhian Farquharson (Training and Sim)