Investing in future NHS leaders has been a key priority this year. All our FTs agreed to support this work. It is a key part of succession planning. To support this, we launched a new programme to help develop future Board leaders.
Our NExT Board Leaders Programme helps prepare future NHS leaders. We run this with the NHS Leadership Academy and Northumbria University. The programme supports staff to build skills for board-level roles.
The first cohort of 12 people completed the programme this year. These were colleagues from FTs across the region. They were from different roles and backgrounds. This helped them share ideas, learn from each other, and work better together.
Participants took part in learning sessions to help build their skills and knowledge. This included practical work and talks from guest speakers. Each person had a mentor who was one of our FT Chief Executives. They also had to complete a project linked to key system priorities. At the end of the programme, they had to present their work to senior leaders at a final event.
Watch highlights from the event in this short video.
Mark Speer is an Assistant Director of Finance at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. He has many years of experience in NHS finance. His daily work focuses on using money in the best way to make services work well.
Mark used the programme to explore how finance can support change and improve patient care. He worked with colleagues from across the system and built skills in leadership and teamwork. The programme helped him to:
- feel like he has more confidence when working in senior roles.
- think more about the wider system which he is part of.
- explain complex issues and ideas in a simpler way.
- play a stronger role in strategic work and support change in his own Trust.
- prepare himself for board-level roles that come up in future.
“The NExT Board Leaders programme is really important. Many of the challenges we face we share across the whole system. If we work together and understand these issues, we are more likely to make real progress.”
Watch Mark's presentation here.
