17.07.15
HEE to take over NHS Leadership Academy
Health Education England (HEE) is to take over the responsibility for the NHS Leadership Academy (NHSLA) from NHS England after a government-commissioned report called for major changes in the support supplied to managers, training and performance management.
Lord Rose’s report ‘Better leadership for tomorrow’ made 19 recommendations and the health secretary has, in principle, accepted all of them. Jeremy Hunt was clear to point out that this did include “moving responsibility for NHSLA to HEE”.
Ministers commissioned the study 18 months ago, and while Lord Rose says NHSLA provides extensive training for large numbers of provider staff at all levels it “does not enjoy the following or status necessary to make it the key provider for people development in the NHS”.
He added that if it is to enjoy that status it needs to be “bulked up” and given the “appropriate credibility” and status to deliver.
“This might best be done under the aegis of another organisation such as Health Education England (HEE): at present the NHSLA is too light for heavy work and too heavy for light work,” said Lord Rose, a former M&S CEO.
It was also suggested that training across the NHS should be more mobile, flexible and agile.
HEE told NHE it very much welcomed the decision, which will be good for leadership development in the NHS and good for patients.
A spokesperson added: “HEE already includes NHS Careers and, together with our wider workforce development responsibilities and work on promoting continuing professional development in the service, adding the NHSLA makes great sense.
“This helps to provide us with the chance to encourage the best talent at the earliest possible opportunity to look at the benefits of the many roles available within the NHS and develop our future clinicians and leaders in an integrated way that will provide the best outcomes for patients.
“We will look to manage this change smoothly to ensure the least possible disruption for staff and services and look forward to taking on our enhanced role working with and for the whole NHS.”
Lord Rose said that in the face of rising demand and treatment costs “simply doing things in the same way will no longer be affordable in the future”.
He added that NHS staff are “drowning” in bureaucracy and performance management is “haphazard and weak”. Therefore, it is crucial for the future of the NHS that it creates and supports a cadre of capable, trained and current managers from all disciplines and increases its level of cultural diversity to better reflect its staff.
(Image: Lord Rose at the the 2014 edition of NHS Confed)
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