The health and care system in the United Kingdom has faced a huge challenge over the past two years, placing enormous pressure on health and care staff and unprecedented demands on leaders, wherever they work. We hope that these short resources and shared experiences will offer some help in supporting leaders working in the NHS, social care, public health, local authorities and the voluntary and independent sector.
Managing self
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Finding the space to slow down
In a fast-moving environment with many competing demands, how can leaders find the time and space to slow down?
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How you see problems can change what is possible
How we frame situations for ourselves and those we lead, and the ability to change that framing, is key to overcoming the challenges that we've faced during the pandemic.
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Self care and resilience during Covid-19: Fatima Khan-Shah
We spoke to Fatima Khan-Shah about why it's so important to prioritise self care during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) crisis.
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Coping with divergence: opening up, but not for all
Health and care staff are experiencing a range of emotions as lockdown lifts. How can leaders support staff through this next phase of the Covid-19 pandemic?
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Responding to the Covid-19 crisis: Professor Don Berwick
We spoke to Don Berwick, President Emeritus at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to ask him how leaders can take care of themselves, and their teams during this crisis.
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Managing anxiety about loss
What have you lost since the arrival of Covid-19? What are you afraid of losing as the pandemic unfolds? We have summarised four strategies for surviving and managing our anxiety about l...
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Boredom and what it can do for you
While many people are working at full stretch during the current crisis, some people may be experiencing boredom. But what does this feeling tell us and how could we use it to good effec...
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Making decisions in difficult circumstances: Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Chief Fire Officer, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
We spoke to Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Chief Fire Officer for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, about how leaders can make decisions in difficult circumstances during the Covid-19 (cor...
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Finding solutions in complex situations: Ian Bullock
We spoke to Ian Bullock, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Physicians, about how leaders can find solutions in complex situations.
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Managing your energy
The practice of restorative self care among leaders is hugely important for sustaining energy and building resilience.
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Heroic leadership: the order of the day?
Leadership is about relationships, not being a superhero. In these unprecedented times, here are five points to keep in mind that can support you and your team to retain your collective ...
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Managing anxiety: breathing
At a time when many leaders and clinical staff are under enormous pressure, taking time to notice and reflect on your own breathing can help to anchor you in your leadership role.
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The space to think
At a time of immense pressure on both the health and care system and on individuals – and when everything is changing so fast – how can you find space to think about how you are leading?
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Decision-making in uncertain times
As the health and care system emerges from the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, how can leaders approach decision-making when the challenges they face seem so intractable and the co...
Working with others
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A customer-first approach to health care
We spoke to Dr Afsana Safa, a GP in Westminster, about remote patient monitoring and bringing a customer-first approach to health care during the pandemic.
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Focusing on the next right step: Matt Bowsher
We spoke to Matt Bowsher, Director of Adult Social Care at Dudley Council, about the importance of imperfection, learning as you go and scheduled downtime as a team.
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Southcentral Foundation, Alaska: the role of established relationships during Covid-19
April Kyle, President and CEO of Southcentral Foundation, Alaska, reflects on how to partner with communities through Covid-19 and beyond.
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Leadership in general practice during the Covid-19 pandemic: Dr Yasmin Razak GP
We spoke to Dr Yasmin Razak, a GP partner in North Kensington and Clinical Director of Neohealth Primary Care Network, about leadership in general practice during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Supporting others through loss
By supporting colleagues through their experiences of loss, we can help to build important relationships for the future.
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The importance of psychological safety: Amy Edmondson
We spoke to Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, about the importance of psychological safety in health and care.
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Maintaining motivation in uncertain times
As teams and individuals experience change as a result of Covid-19, we look at how leaders can support teams to stay motivated and move forward.
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Sustaining resilience in communities through Covid-19: Carolyn Otley
We spoke to Carolyn Otley, Community Resilience Coordinator at Cumbria CVS about what has kept communities resilient through the multiple waves of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The nurturing role of leaders: Dr Navina Evans
We spoke to Dr Navina Evans, Chief Executive of the East London Foundation Trust, about the importance of nurturing as a leader. (2-minute watch)
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Poverty, parenting and mental health during Covid-19: Jo Davies
We spoke to Jo Davies, CEO at WILD Young Parents' Project, to hear how the pandemic has shone a spotlight on health inequalities and impacted young families and their mental health in Co...
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Leading teams virtually
Leading a team virtually presents new challenges, even for seasoned leaders. Here we look at some ideas for building and strengthening virtual teams.
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Leading in a crisis starts with acknowledging your own feelings
We have been listening to leaders across the health and care system about their experiences during the Covid-19 crisis. Here we look at how people feel as result of these experiences and...
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How can leaders support staff wellbeing during Covid-19? Saffron Cordery
We spoke to Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive at NHS Providers, about how leaders can support staff wellbeing during the second wave of Covid-19.
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Creating space for conversations
When people are stressed and anxious, creating a shared, safe space to keep thinking and to maintain and develop relationships with colleagues is important. We have developed some sugges...
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The importance of teaming in health and care: Amy Edmondson
We spoke to Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, about the importance of teaming in health and care.
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Looking after colleagues during the Covid-19 crisis: Michael West
We spoke to Michael West, Visiting Fellow at The King's Fund about why compassion is key to looking after colleagues during the Covid-19 pandemic. (3-minute video)
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A very brief introduction to teaming
How can people who don't know each other work together and support each other effectively?
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Leading virtual meetings – top tips
Leading virtually can seem challenging, but a few basic technical and human skills will help you to engage with colleagues and ensure your virtual meetings are productive.
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Why is leadership important right now? Prerana Issar, Chief People Officer, NHS
We spoke to Prerana Issar, the Chief People Officer for the NHS to ask her why leadership is so important during the Covid-19 crisis.
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Disability and solidarity during Covid-19: Clare Bonetree
Clare Bonetree, a disabled artist and activist based in Manchester, shares how she organised a group of disabled people to discuss and share their skills and expertise in how to maintain...
Learning from experience
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Caring for and supporting volunteers
How can leaders support the wellbeing of volunteers, now and in the future?
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How to do ‘learning’ in practice
How can leaders enable the development of a learning culture? Here, we share four tips for learning from the experiences of the first months of Covid-19. (4-minute read)
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Responding in a crisis: reflections of a director of public health
Responding to the Covid-19 crisis has been a cycle of understanding, reviewing, adapting, taking action – and starting again. How can leaders respond to this challenge?
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Leading across the social care system during Covid-19: Sharon Allen MBE
We spoke to Sharon Allen, Chief Executive at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, about how they've been managing across the system during the pandemic.
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Creating space for compassion, empathy and learning
It’s time to re-think our ideas about leadership and adopt learning cultures that will lead to better care and a fairer society.
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‘The most difficult thing I have done in my life’: reflections on leading through Covid-19
Health services have changed beyond recognition in response to the Covid-19 crisis. How do we capture the learning from these changes?
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The role of pharmacists during Covid-19: Nadia Bukhari
We spoke to Nadia Bukhari, Academic Pharmacist, UCL, about the role of pharmacists during Covid-19.
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Leadership and social justice in social care: James Bullion
We spoke with James Bullion, President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), about leadership and social justice in social care.
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Leading in isolation during Covid-19
Lesley Flatley reflects on her experiences of leading in isolation, as a manager in an independent care home, during the Covid-19 crisis.
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Collaboration in a crisis
The Covid-19 crisis has meant multiple organisations working together to address a shared challenge. But how can we become better at cross-sector co-ordination?
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How the health system in New Zealand responded to Covid-19: Sue Nightingale
We spoke to Sue Nightingale, Chief Medical Officer at Canterbury District Health Board, about how the health system in New Zealand has responded to Covid-19. (2-minute video)
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Discipline and agility in a crisis
In a time of crisis, it is common to rely on command and control management approaches. So, how can we move away from this to create systems that combine both discipline and agility when...
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Adapting to changing circumstances: Professor Don Berwick
We spoke to Don Berwick, President Emeritus at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to ask him how leaders can adapt during changing circumstances. (2-minute video)
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Responding to Covid-19: reasons for hope
John James OBE, chief executive of the Sickle Cell Society, reflects on the challenges the organisation has faced during the Covid-19 pandemic and shares what he has learnt and what giv...
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Creating a common purpose and a supportive culture
We spoke to Jatinder Harchowal, Director of Pharmacy at London’s Nightingale Hospital, about creating a common purpose and a supportive culture. (3-minute video)
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Leading council efforts through Covid-19
More than one million workers in more than 400 councils have been helping to keep essential services running across UK during the Covid-19 crisis. Here, 15 council leaders share their to...
Resources
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Responding to stress experienced by hospital staff working with Covid-19
The COVID Trauma Response Working Group has created rapid guidance for planners putting in place psychological support for staff in the early stages of dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak...
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Resources supporting our mental health and wellbeing
We have brought together some resources providing practical tools and information to support the mental health and wellbeing of health and care workers during the Covid-19 crisis.
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Leading through and beyond Covid-19: what challenges are leaders facing?
Richard Murray considers the challenges leaders across health and social care will face over the coming weeks and months and explains how we’ll work with them to develop our ‘Leading thr...