Welcome back.  After a beautiful autumn weekend, I’m at last harvesting the season’s growth with tomatoes, cucumbers, and courgettes to spare (if you happen to drop by); there’s a similar story going on here at the South East Leadership Academy as our leadership development offers continue to ripen and we would love to share these with you and your teams.

It’s been a rapid period of disruptive change and it can be difficult to prioritise development.  For me, a global pandemic, coming to terms with a chronic health condition and a house move meant that my own development dropped off the priority list completely.  A couple of recent compassionate coaching conversations have sparked my thoughts and unlocked some of this thinking to help me bring my strengths to some of the challenges.   Everyone has their own stories from recent times, and I have noticed one frequently cited benefits of our offers is providing the time and space to think – which is what coaching provides.

Coaching is available for leaders at all levels, offering one-to-one focused and bespoke sessions to help leaders unlock their full potential to achieve personal and professional success. Bitesize Coaching is a short, focused, single 45-minute session which will provide you with the opportunity to process experiences, develop coping skills and explore strategies to navigate challenging circumstances. Want to develop your own coaching skills?  We are planning virtual sessions “Coaching Skills for Managers” in the coming months so if you would like to know more as this offer develops, get in touch and we will send out more information soon.

In addition to our Coaching we also have some exciting events coming up, including:  

Pride in the NHS Week: 6th – 10th September: As part of our commitment to Pride in the NHS we have a number of Leadership Espressos forming part of our inclusion series focusing on LGBTQ identities and mental health that you can still sign up for, including * LGBTQ Identities and Mental Health, Privilege, Minority Stress and intersectionality and Trans inclusion.

Black History Month 2021 – Identity and Me: Throughout October our team is coordinating activity around race for Black History month 2021 and we are looking to hear your voice. Call to action: Share with us your thoughts (before 20 September) on what race and health mean to the NHS in its pursuit of racial equity and justice, recognising that the starting point for change is with ‘me’. Find out more here.

We love hearing from you and connecting across our region so please do get in touch if you have any questions or curiosities.

Kerry Moody, Leadership Development Senior Manager 
NHS South East Leadership Academy

Regional Offers

Leadership Espressos: Supporting Our Leaders

Making Every Conversation Count, 13 Sept. 10:00 – 12:00

Our teams are experiencing heightened levels of stress, pressure and ambiguity and can sometimes struggle to hold impactful and meaningful conversations, especially in the virtual world. This espresso will introduce Line Managers to the benefits and simple and practical techniques of coaching style conversations to better support and develop their staff.

Leading Hybrid Teams, 14 Sept. 13:30 – 15:00

The emerging extent of flexible and remote working is largely an uncharted territory in the NHS, in which there will be pitfalls we wish to avoid and also huge opportunities to improve the way we work together. This session provides protected ‘headspace’ and ‘thinking time’ for busy managers to consider thought-provoking ideas, share views, discuss issues with colleagues, reflect, learn and ask questions.

Understanding Trauma in Healthcare

This session is for leaders who would like to understand what trauma looks like and how it can impact your staff and yourself. You will be invited to share experiences and commit to an action to take back into your workplace to apply your learning in a tangible way. This session will support you as a line manager to signpost staff to appropriate resources and services.

• 15 Sept. 14:00 – 15:30 Find out more
• 6 Oct. 14:00 – 15:30 Find out more
• 20 Oct. 14:00 – 15:30 Find out more

Sustaining a Good Team Culture, 16 Sept. 10 – 12:00

This session will focus on exploring how managers can continue to cultivate a good team culture. It has been developed to provide practical tips and tools for helping teams to process and explore their experiences in order to move forward positively together, including how to design and run a processing or time-out session with your team.

Challenging Conversations, 30 Sept. 14:00 – 15:30

We will look at the key factors of challenging conversations, what makes them challenging, what holds us back and what can help us. You will be learning and sharing your examples and tips with others in similar situations to help support each other.

Conversations to Build Resilience, 6 Oct. 09:30 – 11:00

These are unprecedented times. We are juggling work and personal lives that are more disruptive, stressful, and ever changing with often increasing demands. This session is for anyone who wants to know how to manage sensitive conversations to support their teams and colleagues when working under pressure.

The Art of Being Brilliant, 11 Oct. 12:00 – 14:00

This session is open to colleagues, clinical and non-clinical, those who have an interest in leadership and those in a leadership or management role across the South East region. Using cutting-edge research, without the big words and replacing them with simple, do-able principles that are applicable at work and home, this session will help you shine by reconnecting you with you.

Bringing a Team Back Together to Reset, Renew & Refocus, 19 Oct. 15:30 – 17:00

As we find our new normal and navigate to reset, renew and refocus after a challenging year, perhaps being redeployed or working on COVID-related projects, this leadership espresso will help you focus on re-engaging and empowering your teams, re-contracting and the fundamentals of a high performing team.

Rising Stronger From Mental Health To Mental Wealth

This session is absolutely not about challenging you to up your game or work harder, it’s about nudging you to remember who you are at your best. That’s not only good for you, it creates positive ripples that impact on your family, your team and patients. Bouncing back is one thing, bouncing forward is quite another.

• 17 Nov. 9:30 – 11:30. Find out more.
• 24 Nov. 14:00 – 16:00. Find out more.

Leadership Espressos – Inclusion Series

This is a series of leadership espressos focusing on LGBTQ identities and mental health. These sessions will allow participants to gain insight and skills in assessing and addressing the needs of LGBTQ staff, including:

• LGBTQ Identities and Mental Health: 7 Oct. 9.30 – 11:00 Find out more.
• Privilege, Minority Stress and intersectionality: 14 Oct. 15:00 – 16.30. Find out more.
• Trans inclusion: 21 Oct. 12pm – 13:30. Find out more.

Primary Care Offers

Innovative Collaborative Practice Programme – introduction session 23 Sept. 12:15 – 13:15

We would like to invite GP practices to express interest in a Collaborative Practice Programme that we are launching in the South East in October. 

Facilitated Learning Sets for PCN Managers, 23 Sept. 13:00 – 16:30 (Hampshire & Isle of Wight only)

This session is an opportunity for you to come together in a facilitated learning space to enable you to explore the complex issues facing PCN Managers. You will have the opportunity to work with a small group of peers to build trust, explore ways forward and draw on practical advice.

Challenging Conversations, 12 Oct. 10:00 – 11:30 (Primary Care only)

We will look at the key factors of challenging conversations, what makes them challenging, what holds us back and what can help us. You will be learning and sharing your examples and tips with others in similar situations to help support each other.

Leading without authority Masterclass

This virtual session is for practice managers, primary care practitioners and other key primary care colleagues and will help you consider the differences between leading in a hierarchical context and influencing across networks, which aspects of your work are best achieved through a conventional management approach and which aspects require a more networked approach to leadership and more.

• 20 Oct. 13:00 – 14:30 Find out more.
• 7 Dec. 10:00 – 11:30 Find out more.

Understanding Trauma in Healthcare – Primary Care only

This session is for leaders who would like to understand what trauma looks like and how it can impact your staff and yourself. You will be invited to share experiences and commit to an action to take back into your workplace to apply your learning in a tangible way. This session will support you as a line manager to signpost staff to appropriate resources and services.

• 24 Nov. 14:00 – 15:30 Find out more.
• 2 Dec. 9:30 – 11:00 Find out more.

Chairing Impactful, Inclusive and Productive Meetings, 2 Nov. 13:00 – 16:00

This session will help you explore, practise and gain key skills involved in chairing and handling successful, and productive meetings, including ones that are difficult and challenging.

Leading Transformation in 2021 Programme for System Leaders

Designed to support leaders to meet the specific challenges of leading transformation in 2021, this bitesize programme will introduce you to big ideas, equip you with practical tools and offer access to a peer learning and support community. With five solution-focused bitesize learning sessions, including ‘Making a positive difference without the resources, authority and clarity you need!‘, ‘Managing big personalities and their competing agendas‘ and ‘Practical tools for managing the work‘, this programme offers a flexible, blended approach of in-person sessions and self-directed application to develop your skills.

1:1 Support for Leaders

Safe Space Conversation Sessions for Senior Clinical Leaders

This offer will provide senior clinical leaders time out to talk, to gain support, learning and development through a crucial period of heightened demand on individuals and the healthcare services. Aimed at executive and deputy Medical and Nursing Directors, Heads of Midwifery and AHPs (and their deputies), Senior Clinical Leaders of teams or services, and clinical divisional directors or equivalent.

Bitesize Coaching – book your 45-minute session

An opportunity for those working on the frontline and/or responsible for teams who are currently working under pressure to work with an experienced coach. This one-off session can help you process experiences, develop coping skills or explore strategies to navigate challenging circumstances.

Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS)

This week our largest cohort of trainees ever has attended the National GMTS Welcome event in preparation for the start of their leadership journey within the NHS. Throughout October and November (dates tbc), the South East GMTS team will be running engagement events for anyone who wants to find out more about hosting a trainee in 2022, and to answer any questions. We will share the confirmed dates in our October Leadership Dispatch.  

If you do have any questions about the Graduate Management Training Scheme in the SE Region, or are interested in hosting trainees in September 2022, please contact us at [email protected].

Calling all GMTS Alumni

We are currently reviewing our understanding of GMTS Alumni in the region, whether they trained in the South East, or moved to the area after completion, in order to understand how we can better support our trainees both during their time on GMTS as well as their early years post completion. If you are GMTS Alumni please complete a short survey which will take no more than a minute or two to complete.

National and Partner Offers

Last chance: Regional Leadership for Personalised Care programme, apply by 15 Sept.

This place-based programme is open to teams and individuals from NHS, councils and the voluntary sector, bringing local leaders together to make a difference.

Exploring Compassionate Leadership for Clinical Directors

This session will provide Clinical Directors with the opportunity to reflect on the demands of their role and how they practice compassionate leadership for their own wellbeing and to support their teams to deliver the best care possible for their patients.

Engagement Sessions for Apprenticeships with Leadership Programmes

During September The NHS Leadership Academy and selected Apprenticeship Providers have scheduled a series of engagement sessions to provide information on upcoming Apprenticeship Standards offering NHS Leadership Academy Leadership Programmes (Mary Seacole and Edward Jenner) included with them.

Leading for Systems Change

This new national offer provides place-based support for Integrated Care Systems (ICS), to build collaborative system-wide leadership. This offer will provide practical, place-based support to help build collaborative leadership thinking across all areas, building understanding and expertise regarding what it means to work at a system level and to encourage new ways of working.

Kindness into Action Masterclass, 7 Oct. 09:00 – 12:00

NHS England and NHS Improvement Civility and Respect programme brings you a Kindness into Action masterclass to create and sustain kinder cultures in the NHS.

NHS England upcoming virtual events

• Pride in the NHS Week and NHS Virtual Pride, 6 – 10 Sept. 10:00am – 7:00pm – find out more.
• How to have safe and effective wellbeing conversations – national training programme, 23 Sept. – find out more.
• NHS Flex for the Future programme, 30 Sept. – find out more.

For more virtual events please visit: NHS England and NHS Improvement Online Events

NHS Elect upcoming webinars

NHS Elect is a national membership organisation run by experienced NHS colleagues that provides development, coaching and support in a number of areas, including Leadership and Organisational Development.

South East Leadership Academy has entered into a strategic partnership with NHS Elect to increase the access to leadership development opportunities for NHS staff in the South East region. The events are free of charge and available to Organisations in the South East who hold an NHS Elect membership. To find out if your organisation holds a membership, please visit NHS Elect – Current members.

Current courses include:

• The Window of Tolerance 15 Sept.
• How we can improve the experience of NHS staff – 23 Sept.
• Presenting data effectively – 27 Sept.
• and more…

For more information about these webinars and a full list of development opportunities from NHS Elect please visit: NHS Elect – Online Courses or contact [email protected].

#ProjectM

Shaped by on-going feedback and conversations had with managers throughout the NHS – #ProjectM is a suite of resources, tools and guides to help our NHS managers lead through COVID-19 and beyond. A community of practice will provide a safe, collaborative space for colleagues to get peer-to-peer support, alongside our award-winning health and wellbeing offers.

As we celebrate Pride in the NHS this week, the September #ProjectM activity will support compassionate and inclusive leadership with a focus on LGBTQ+ with a series of events:

• Health and Wellbeing Event – 8^th September, Hosted by Horizons, in partnership with the Health and Wellbeing Team. The session will focus on how relationships affect our health and wellbeing.
• Tea and Talk – 14^th September, informal peer networking.
• Tea and Talk – 21^st September, informal peer networking.
• Listen and Learn Event – 28^th September, this session is focused on how we can support each other to bring our whole selves to work, with two #ProjectM participants from the LGBTQ+ community as speakers.

Executive Suite

A comprehensive suite of supportive offers and resources for senior and executive leaders in health and care. They are designed to support you to remain a resilient leader, continue to thrive in your role, and set cultures that value the importance of health and wellbeing. The offers are open to all executive leaders across health and care in England. 

Spotlight on: Senior Leaders blogs and reflections

Leadership Dispatch sign up

By submitting this form you agree to receive the Leadership Dispatch with information about current leadership development programmes and events offered by the South East Leadership Academy, regional and national NHS organisations.

Contact

For Regional Offers: [email protected]

For National and Partner Offers – Please follow the link in the offer you are interested in and contact organisers directly.