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The Fantastic Four, aka the Healthskills Business Support team set off on an intrepid mission to Wiltshire on 12th September. Their mission: to leap out of an aircraft freefalling from 10,000 feet and land safely at Redlands Airfield five minutes later. And remembering to bring a parachute and tandem instructor.
After a thorough training session lasting, oh all of 30 minutes the team assembled, supremely confident and ready for action. They didn't realise that there was to be a considerable wait whilst all the nervous fliers were selected before them. But the sun shone, there was lots of family support and a giant picnic courtesy of Tess 'Delia' Knight plus baby Evan (eight months - Team Mascot) to keep us all amused, ensured that the time would whizz past.
Soon the moment arrived and Tess and Adi were asked to go first, followed thirty minutes later by Lucie and Fiona. Lucie said she didn't mind waiting as although her instructor did not in the end turn out to be George Clooney, he did say he would cancel the jump and take her out on a date!
Soon the assembled supporters were craning their necks and checking the sky to see who we could spot first. Then the team landed one by one, packed up their parachute with their instructors and made their way back to to the applause of family and friends and some well earned champagne. "Exhilarated", "Fantastic" and "Speechless" were some of the comments, the last by Tess who then couldn't stop telling us all about the experience!
Well done on a brave and enthusiastic team effort, and for the generosity of our sponsors which means that Cancer Research UK has benefitted by well over £1,000. Go to www.justgiving.com/fionahumphreys2 
if you would like to contribute.
The Directors have a tough challenge to beat in 2010!!!
We are delighted to announce that Healthskills will be working with Humana at Leicester City PCT from October this year. Our work will revolve around facilitating the organisational development of the PCT Commissioning Executive and Clinical Cabinet. Anne Tofts, Healthskills Managing Director noted “this is an exciting piece of work to be involved in and we are delighted to be working with Humana in taking the PCT forward.”
We are very pleased to be able to congratulate two of our valued clients on their recognition in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Chief executive of NHS East Midlands, Barbara Hakin, was made a dame for services to healthcare, and Alwen Williams, chief executive of Tower Hamlets PCT was awarded a CBE for her contribution to the health service.
Both have made incredible contributions to the NHS including leading two of the best performing NHS trusts in the country. We have worked with both Barbara and Alwen supporting service transformation and organisational development since the inception of Healthskills in 1996; its very well deserved recognition for two women who embody great NHS leadership.
Healthskills work with this group was established on the basis of a grant from the London Network to set up a series of learning sets for healthcare professionals working with homeless people or people living in temporary insecure accommodation.
An initial launch meeting took place in July 08 and a set of needs were identified which set the course and direction for the learning set (supervision group)
The initial project has now been completed but it is hoped that the good start that this group has made will continue into 2010.
We are sure that you are all aware of the innovative and exciting work that has recently been completed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Academy of Medical Royal College to develop a medical leadership competency framework.
The intention is that the framework will eventually be integrated into all undergraduate medical teaching, providing junior doctors with an understanding and introductory competence into their leadership roles within the clinical team.
We are working closely with members of the project team to create an integrated suite of leadership development programmes and learning opportunities that will help doctors in post to acquire and demonstrate leadership qualities and behaviours appropriate to their seniority and experience.
We will be launching these new programmes during 2009. If you would like an early insight into our thinking then please contact Charles Marshall charles.marshall@healthskills.co.uk
In a rash moment last January the support team all decided to do a sponsored skydive. The jump date of 16th May was postponed due to bad weather. The new date of 11th July is fast approaching, and if you want to sponsor us, it's really easy through www.justgiving.com We're raising funds for Cancer Research UK
The Department of Health’s recently published report “Clinical Commissioning, our vision for PBC” is part of a renewed drive to put clinicians at the centre of commissioning.
The report restated DH’s view of PBC and concluded with some interesting views about the future......
“PBC consortia are a key element in many of the proposed integrated care pilots due to be launched shortly. Successful PBC consortia or federations of practices are potentially well placed to develop into integrated care organisations (ICOs). A PCT could commission an ICO to take on direct responsibility for an extended budget, as well as providing primary care for a registered population, effectively becoming the ‘primary care home’ for the wider health and healthcare needs of this population. PCTs would hold the ICO to account for quality of care, health outcomes and financial stewardship, leaving the ICO to take ‘make or buy’ decisions about how these outcomes are achieved.”
Healthskills is enabling clients in their journey to achieving ICO status and each of these clients has PBC at its centre or as a key partner. One client is a successful PBC consortia in London, now developing a joint venture with an American based provider of medical management services for managed care organisations. They have an ambitious vision of how an ICO can continue the trajectory of improved health and wellbeing for their deprived population. We are supporting them by facilitating their strategy development, undertaking a fitness for purpose assessment of the practices to deliver this strategy and then providing development to support improved delivery. Their ambitions echo the DH’s vision of clinically led local providers who use their knowledge of the local population to commission and deliver quality outcomes and we are proud to be working with them.
If you would like to find out more, please contact Ann Hepworth on 07867 538165 or ann.hepworth@healthskills.co.uk
We are very pleased to be able to support Tower Hamlets PCT in their new venture establishing an Alumni of all staff who have benefited from leadership and management development programmes.
Tower Hamlets PCT has supported leadership development for clinicians and middle managers for more than 3 years. 75 people have now completed or in the process of completing the leadership programme that Healthskills have run in partnership with Tower Hamlets – the Leadership for Service Transformation programme.
Tower Hamlets are now seeking to help individuals further their skills by joining the THPCT Leadership Alumni. This is an opportunity to shape the future of leadership within Tower Hamlets and network with colleagues from across the trust.
The Trust has delegated the design and initiation of the Alumni programme to 2 of the Trust’s Stepping Out" Leadership Secondees. These are graduates from the Leadership for Service Transformation programme who want to further develop their leadership qualities and seek advancement within the Trust.
If you would like to find about more about either the Leadership for Service Transformation programme or the THPCT Alumni then Charles would be happy to help charles.marshall@healthskills.co.uk
We read with considerable interest the article in the Health Service Journal “The managers who saved Maidstone – transformation from Board to ward” (9th October 2008 Alison Moore). The article describes the journey that the Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has been on since sensational headlines brought them into the glare of the national media over serious superbug outbreaks. The article begins the story by describing the changes in infection control measures that were made but then moves on quickly to illustrate how the new management team had to try and change the overriding culture of the Trust. The challenge was a daunting one and first impressions indicated:
This Trust is now well on its transformation journey and the article really resonated with so much of the work that we do. Although there were clear problems with infection control processes the powerful message that came through was that safety requires dynamic leadership and high performing teams and that organisational culture can significantly affect ultimate success or failure.
In the last 12 months we have worked with teams the length and breadth of the NHS. Some of that work has involved delivering leadership programmes to both clinicians and non clinicians but we have also worked with teams for shorter time periods and helped them facilitate team improvements, regain organisational energy and focus and challenge a “team culture” that maybe hampering ultimate team success. This short “burst” work has included:
“The report made very interesting, if slightly uncomfortable reading! Your recommendations seem eminently sensible to me. Thank you for all your efforts - you made a very difficult exercise almost enjoyable. It would be good to work with you again.”
Dr Alison Rylands, Director of Public Health, North West Specialised Commissioning Team
Please contact our programme manager Lucie Gilbert to discuss how we could help you.
Healthskills have been successful in tendering against stiff competition to work with NHS London to develop a plan that will build organisational capability to reflect its future role and needs.
We will reflect on where the organisation sees itself against these capabilities, where stakeholders view current strengths and challenges and design a plan with the whole organisation to fill the gaps and develop an organisation fit for the future.
The key elements of the programme are:
NHS London key elements diagram (click to enlarge)
Healthskills successfully competed against in excess of 100 other organisations who tendered for the Hammersmith and Fulham PCT management development programme. 2 organisations have been awarded the contract, ourselves and OPM.
We will collaborate with OPM and the PCT to co-design and deliver an innovative, work based learning programme that builds internal management and leadership capability to deliver World Class Commissioning and the creation of a successful Independent Provider Organisation (IPO).
Our strength in World Class Commissioning and vast experience of delivering empowering leadership development programmes and engaging clinical leaders will help the PCT to meet its WCC Assurance Standards.
