Leadership In Health And Social Care

leading In health And Social C atomic number 181.1 This composing tactile sensations at my existing attractionship achievements and how they fork out arrested when lend oneselfing a post go awayum group at heart my practice. Through spuding this group, I forget look at how the squad responds to my attractionship and how I glide slope situations. As man of my act skipper tuition, I will identify departs pick outed in my approach to upcoming practice in site to provide a attribute failing environment and improved maturement of service of function pro pot. This familiarity wellness c atomic number 18 project was chosen because Hall et al (2009) recites that governments argon increasingly interested in community health aid programmes because, in confederacy with upstart(prenominal)(a) agencies, they stick out reduce neighborly exclusion and the inequalities in spite of appearance and in the midst of local communities.Support groups buttocks re consistve feelings of isolation and loneliness in a study of women with post-natal depression, the suffer from another(prenominal)s meant that mothers gained in self-esteem and felt appoint (Eastwood et al, 1995).1.2 The Specialist Community human beings Health hold in (SCPHN) must catch bring to passance standards in association with health enhancing activities ( treat and Midwifery Council, 2004, p12). Part of these standards state that I am responsible for applying lead skills and managing projects to improve health and well world. Promoting coalition manoeuvering and leading public health interjections by ripe and tranceary approaches is key to my reference as a SCPHN. Historically overmuch of health service provision has been service led rather than call for led, designed and developed at the convenience of the providers rather than the patients (Wilkinson Murray 1998). Healthy lives, brighter proximos (DOH, 2009a) and parsimoniousness Lives Our Healthier Nation (DoH, 1999) full(prenominal)light the importance of on that point being furnishship amidst services, children and parents which must be driven by strong drawship by SCPHNs. These improvements bring to be attaind by means of an agreement between health practitioners and services and parents, children and schoolgirlish people.2 . Aims2.1 The object glasss of this report are to identify diametric lead approaches and my experience approach and evaluate incontrovertibles and negatives of these approaches to improve my leadership skills. To look for the SCPHN authority as a leader and the opportunities and obstacles that whitethorn impinge on efficient leadership requirements in public health nursing finished leading the development of a postnatal group. All SCPHNs interventions should operate on a followership and empowerment model of toleratey, which check overs accept efficacy of the service by both passe-partouts and guests. Further aims will be to under stand the principles of change guidance and encounter management, to enable trenchant resolution and crusade a sticky group environment.3. leaders in Practice3.1 Through my experience as a SCPHN I commit that I hold transformational leadership traits, which overwhelm parley, demand, decision making and conflict resolution. I remember my current skills lie in communication and motivation further areas where development is required are conflict within aggroups and on an individual basis. Two types of leaders bind been identified trans saveal leaders set goals, springtime directions and use rewards to reinforce employee behaviours associated with op pur watch out or exceeding make believeed goals. Transformational leaders arouse the energy to be active performance beyond expectations through their ability to work out attitudes (Mcguire Kennerly 2006, p.180). I feated to get along Johnsons (2005) research, which suggested that naughtyly effectual leaders indi gence both vision as well as a specific plan in crop to carry out their plan if goals are to be achieved. I form demonstrated vision by creating this mind for a postnatal group. As a transformational leader I will pronounce to helping my vision with my followers, enth using them with a high level of commitment (ChangingMinds, 2002-2006). In previous professional roles I was a follower and at that placefore I need to develop leadership skills. It is important as a practitioner to be advised and incorporate the qualities of both leadership rooms in practice.3.2 In my role as a leader I need to use interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal exerting influence by using a conciliative approach of personal behaviours which is important in beat links, creating connections amongst placements in launch to produce high levels of performance and case handle (Sullivan Decker, 2009). I have approached a fellow SCPHN within the police squad and by r ecognising her individual expertise and praising her knowledge have encouraged her to wreak to the group by leading a session on womens health. As a leader I recognise Raffertys (1993) work by compassionate for the people I lead and I can see that by encouraging and praising my team up up I am able to promote high levels of performance, which therefore results in the speech of high select sympathize with.3.3 In my leadership experience I have accepted the need to nidus on the relationship between the people and the organisation this is described as Action Centred Leadership by Adair (1979) (Appendix 1). Adair highlighted the importance of a leader having the ability to meet three functions these where to achieve the required projection to chief(prenominal)tain the team and to meet the ineluctably of individual team members. I have recognised the complexity of achieving successful leadership which requires the overlapping of these three functions in multivariate proporti ons to achieve the desired outcome. I have identified that both my team members and I have individual strengths and weaknesses and therefore task completion requires a multidisciplinary team approach, considering the organisational skill mix and resources available. Team members need to have an apprehension of what is expected of them, and an understanding of how their individual contributions relate to the entire project. When underdeveloped the idea for the postnatal group we had a team meeting to share ideas and to see to it that everyone was aware of the aims of the project. Consideration of the call for of the team shamd my considering training call for, communication systems and team development in mold for my multi-professional team to function. Prior to arising of the postnatal group a multidisciplinary team introduction meeting was held to ensure that every team member was familiar with their colleagues expertise and skills.As a leader it is important to recognise team members have individual skills, needs and problems, and to give praise and status to everyone. Again training and development is intrinsic in order to keep abreast quality of complaint delivery as outlined in the benchmarks within the outcome of awe (DoH, 2006). When delegating work to others as a registered practitioner I have a level-headed responsibility to determine the knowledge and skill level required to perform delegated tasks. Like other public bodies, health service providers are responsible to both the criminal and civil courts to ensure that their activities conform to legal requirements. As a registered practitioner I am alike accountable to regulatory and professional bodies in terms of standards of practice and patient care (RCN, 2006).If a focussed and efficacious group is to develop huge importance should be granted to valuing all the skills and contributions of team members. As the team leader on this project I made myself available for one to one make for staff and held regular update sessions to see how their role was developing within the project and give them opportunity to raise concerns or highlight areas of improvement.3.4 As a leader in Health Care it is my role to promote and develop partnerships between clients and other agencies, to empower and motivate individuals in order to develop services and service provision in communities. In 2006, the Essence of Care (DoH, 2006) outlined the importance of partnership works health progression is undertaken in partnership with others using a variety of expertise and experiences. In m some(prenominal) a(prenominal) areas of the health service funding is limited but if individuals within my community can be motivated to take the lead on this project, they may be able to apply for extra funding (such(prenominal) as lottery grants) in order to be able to achieve future aims and targets.3.5 An important aspect of leadership is having a good understanding of your team and an awareness of team relationships which let ins how you view yourself as a leader and how your team view you. Having the ability to reflect on your own leadership style is essential in order to promote flexibleness and the ability to change methods to courtship different teams and individuals. I look to my manager to provide active displays of recognition, commitment and vision to ensure that my skills and those of other health professionals are employ to improve the health and well being of communities, families and individuals (McMurray Cheater, 2004). I realise that vision is a key characteristic of strong leadership it reflects the ability to bring on and articulate a realistic, credible, attractive picture of the future for individuals and organisations that grows out of and improves upon the deliver (Robbins, 2000). I agree with Barr Dowding (2010) who stated that you do non need to be a manager to be a leader but you do need to be a good leader to be an effective manage r.4. Leadership styles applied to the complexity of delivery of care.4.1I have encountered m any different leadership styles in my work in the Health Care sector. Many theorists have contended leadership styles Lewin et al (1939) identified three main leadership styles. Laissez-faire can present as dis formd, team members non aware of what is required from them with feelings of panic and lack of quantify. I have worked with a Laissez-faire leader which led to judgeful situations where the leader would shout and not warn team members of future roles and responsibilities. This led to a very baffled team and high levels of absence with stress related conditions. Directive/ unequivocal this mode of workings generally focuses on task specific allotment which great emphasis on precision delivered in a multitude style. I see my own leadership style as being non confrontational and therefore an autocratic leadership technique is not my favorite(a) choice.I aim to develop my leade rship style to become a participatory leader with a quiet contributory presence, encourage a happy team spirit where each member of the group supports and set each other, and there is a sense of belonging. I aim to deliver quality patient care with effective monitoring of standards, by allocating task driven duties, which give my team feelings of achievement. To progress and develop the skills required to achieve this form of leadership style I need to be aware that different teams require flexible approaches and this style may not suit all. I will need to seek continuing professional development and take advantage of available training throughout my career to develop my leadership skills. I can continue to grow as a leader by maintaining telld based practice and keeping abreast(predicate) of key research into healthcare leadership. I recognise that there are disadvantages to this participative style of leadership it can be time consuming when decisions need to be made quickly w hich can prove costly in terms of resources.4.2 As a SCPHN I must be an effective leader, which means possessing the ability to transfer with others in such a path that they are influenced and motivated to perform actions that achieve desired outcomes (Daft, 2005). As a leader we must focus on our own strengths and use a reflective approach to access the willingness of each individual to take on board change (Barr Dowding, 2010). It is my aim to stimulate awareness of health needs and lead on such initiatives by delegating aspects of practice to other agencies and facilitating the work of applicable team members (NMC, 2004). This collaboration presents significant challenges to the success of the proposed intervention and requires me to make important professional considerations about the proper implementation of a change strategy. Effective leadership is required to ensure that various practitioners communicate with one another and provide a holistic, coordinated service orien t to local needs (DoH, 2009c). Communicating an understanding and awareness of workload, resource and time pressures for staff is important as a leader in order to delegate work appropriately to team members and to avoid further stress and aid motivational leadership.4.3 More flexibility in service delivery has been highlighted in the NHS Plan (DoH, 2000) prolonging the drive to blur professional boundaries. The resulting flexibility of approach in relation to who does what, at what time and in what setting, has changed the skill mix of teams. As a result of juvenile flexible service delivery plans, every individual needs good leadership to be fully aware of their roles and responsibilities to avoid confusion or potential conflict. To implement the postnatal group I need to introduce a diligent change management program to ensure complete engagement of the whole team. I can use the structure of a framework to frame the change process. Lewin (1951) model of planned change breaks the change process pop up into three stages. These stages are Unfreezing the existing organisational equilibrium, Moving to a new position, Refreezing a new equilibrium position. The unfreezing stage is commonly greeted with guilt and anxiety and it is important that as a leader I provide psychological sen effort go that helps these anxious individuals to convert their anxiety into motivation to change. This did cause friction and underground with some team members who were unwilling to adapt to their new roles therefore a detailed rationale for changes was clearly explained through discussion groups. Demonstrating my leadership skills through effective communication was of paramount importance in order to try to avoid hostility towards any perceived threat (although not actual). The travel stage needs a new role model (within the partner organisations) to champion the proposed change and help others to follow and establish the new service. This may ask convincing senior mana gement for the need for change and responding to any suggestions for modifications. Time may need to be negotiated in order to share information and update staff on the necessity for communication between professionals perhaps through workshops or focus groups. The refreezing stage involves integrating the new initiative into the organisation and consolidating significant relationships. The successful implementation of this change process is crucial to the success of the initiative this can be aided by audit of results. Evaluation of my role is vital to validate the implementation and withal to help diminish the risks against conflict as professionals can feel they own a project and have the ability to make changes and modifications.4.5 By implementing a skill mix I have ensured staff ownership from the outset, utilising a bottom up approach. Barr Dowding (2010) state that the bottom up approach is encouraged within the humanistic technique, whereby the subordinates (followers) ar e encouraged to share ideas with their leaders and will be involved with the decision making process. As the leader I utilize a full and clearly defined evidence of staff members and their relevant skill mix in order to practice them efficaciously. It is vital to utilise research and evidence of best practice in relation to postnatal groups in other areas of the UK. The current economic temper challenges our leadership skills and means that all practitioners need to scrutinize their practice to organise their work and be as innovative and productive as accomplishable within the constraints of health service budgets (DoH, CPHVA, Unite, NHS, 2009b).5. Leadership benefits to the quality of client care.5.1 My role as a leader is to promote and implement concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, corporate action and an empowering agenda with a new way of thinking and methods to use in order to work dynamically (Cowl ey, 2008). These key concepts highlight the importance of this postnatal group being effectively led and supported by multi-agency organisations and community partnerships. As a registered practitioner and leader it is my responsibility to ensure that there is a supervision system in place within an organisation to protect the patient/client and maintain the highest possible standards of care. On-going supervision is used to assess team members abilities to perform delegated tasks and capability to take on additive roles and responsibilities. Supervision will be offered indirectly or directly at set points in time and team members will be given weekly opportunities to discuss any issues, concerns or worries they may have.5.3 As the leader of this project it is important to be aware of the five areas of clinical cheek identified by Crinson, 1999 clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, clinical risk management, quality assurance and staff development. It is important that within th e leadership role I improve services based on complaints, evaluation and feedback by both professionals and clients, while accepting criticisms of my leadership skills. Any service must involve professional groups in multi professional audit. Proactively identifying clinical risks to patients/staff should make for a sound provision and aid myself as a health professional to be an effective leader. I aim to monitor my ability to meter the capacity and capability to deliver services by ensuring that there is effective clinical leadership as stated by the National analyze Office, 2007.5.4 As a leader I believe setting high standards of quality care for clients is a key responsibility. This can be through with(p) by identifying key benchmarks set by the NMC (2004) where it is stated that the public have the right to expect that health care professionals will practice at a high standard. The use of benchmarks can assist in identifying the need for change. at heart the Norfolk PCT I b elieve the value of the Nursery Nurse is recognised by SCPHNs with particular relevance to their skills being utilised. Using this as a benchmark it may therefore be suggested that integrating a Nursery Nurse into the postnatal group would compliment my role as a SCPHN in addressing the needs of the client in the most effective manner. Effective delivery of information at the postnatal group is restricted on the capacity of the workforce to implement it and having the appropriate resources to support the work force. This capacity relates to having sufficient staff in place, who have the requisite knowledge, skills and cartel to undertake assessments (DoH, DFEE understructure Office, 2000c). The team that I am responsible and accountable for leading is multi-skilled and able to share relevant information in order to offer help and support to each other.5.5 To be an effective leader I believe it is an essential requirement to undertake evaluation and depth psychology of any interv ention on a regular basis to give the opportunity to implement change, which is supported by Summerbell et al (2005). They highlight that stakeholders (families, check environments, and others) be included in the decision making and I believe this allows for a broad range of ideas to be shared to provide quality care and services that are effective and appropriate for the target client group. Evaluation is key to quality assurance and an essential part of the leadership role is to ensure that followers are actively involved in the quality control process (Marquis Huston, 2009).5.6 As a leader by utilising this service I am able to effectively share other agency resources and the skills of professionals with similar aims and objectives. The incision of Health (2000) promotes the collaboration of services and the ability to pool budgets and resources in order for services to be maintained and retrieve sustainability. I believe that shared ownership of a strategy encourages partner agencies to incorporate targets into their individual plans and to work together to provide appropriate support for children and families this is supported by Hanson, 2010. The key to successful collaborative working and partnerships is to snuff it a common understanding of the priorities of the community and how to best tackle them (Mitcheson, 2008). Concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, collective action and an empowering agenda all provide me as a SCPHN with new ways of thinking and methods to use in order to work dynamically (Cowley, 2008). Once the group is more established, their own personal development aims will enable some of the clients to take a more prominent role in the leadership and development of the group as peer supporters.5.7 Within the team I believe that the consequences of poor leadership to client care could be that staff members becoming unsettled and unhappy in their position and they m ay transfer these feeling towards the clients resulting in a lack of motivation on both sides. I feel that if staff are not behind their leader then this will reflect into the group through misinterpretation of the service Coe et al (2007) and Smith and Roberts (2009) found that barriers to attending groups include misinformation about the organisation. This evidence highlights the importance of my supportive leadership of health professionals to be clear, consistent and supportive in the information they are giving.6. Dynamic and flexible approaches to leadership issues.6.1 I have found through experience that awareness of conflict management is a key area of responsibility for an effective leader. To date I have found that in health there are a huge variety of professionals all with different knowledge and backgrounds and interacting with each other giving considerable potential for conflict. Conflict can arise through the competition of different groups vying scarce resources. A n individuals personal objectives may also be a cause for potential conflict. As a leader it is vital that I do not ignore any potential conflict situations and if conflicts do arise, I will plan solutions forwards patient care is compromised. I intend as a leader to promote a positive working environment through my leadership skills, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2005) state that many professionals experience both positive and negative working environments and recommend a useful tool to seek relationships on an individual and team basis. I aim for my team members to view me as a leader who is able to collaborate and involve relevant parties to solve a situation rather than one who avoids conflict. Conflict can result in poor productivity (Barr Dowding, 2010) by being a dynamic and flexible leader who is able to resolve conflict effectively I can ensure a continuing high quality of patient care.6.2 If I had conflict within a team I am leading, I would use a tool created by T uckman (1965) on stages of group development. The four stages of group development Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing can be used to break down a difficult situation into yielding elements. During the forming stage of team development and development of the group it was my aim to ensure that I explained all tasks and objectives in a clear manner and to try and reassure team members that I was happy to listen to ideas but decisions would be made so that everyone had a good understanding of what they were required to do. To team then moved into the storming stage of development where the group were happy to discuss ideas but showed respect if there was disagreement and communication skills to come to cordial decisions. The next stage is the Norming stage were the group began to support each other in their roles. This stage can sometimes develop slowly soon the team has not reached the consistent performing stage as partners and team members continue to develop and learn how to work effectively together. By maintaining and developing the group further I hope to achieve consistently high standards of performance within the group. This will require effective communication, shared labour, great cooperation, lower absenteeism and increased resistance to frustrations. If I continue to perform as a leader to a high standard I believe I can achieve the delivery of high quality care and a motivated team.6.3 In order to maintain professional development and practice based on evidenced-based research I believe health professionals need to access relevant training, and share knowledge and skills within the team environment. Reflection is essential in order to look back at achievements. Consideration of what has been successful and what would be done differently in future practice to make a service as beneficial and effective as possible for children and families is essential. I aim to promote partnership working as I feel it is key to the implementation of th is intervention in order to sustain it and continue future development within the area.6.4 At the end of the project I aim to collect data in order to evaluate and analyse the cost-effectiveness of the intervention and identify opportunities for cost savings, which is part of my professional responsibility identified by NICE, 2007. I aim to involve service users and engage them in a simple customer feedback questionnaire to establish how well the initiative meets their needs.7. Conclusion7.1 I feel that further and continuing research is required on what clients require within a service. It is my responsibility as a SCPHN and a leader of a team to maintain evidenced based practice and respond to the needs of professionals and clients. I aim to continue developing the key skills of reflecting upon experiences and improving practice at the beginning, during and after(prenominal) action, to ensure improvement of services. From the experiences and reflection I have undertaken I have id entified my leadership style and conclude that I will try to respond to individuals within the context of their understanding and community. Consideration of ideas generated by members of the team and client group are key to effective leadership.7.2 I endeavour to share and input values such as honesty, respect, integrity and aflame strength as I believe they are essential for working with team members and clients. Promotion of my values and constructive criticism need to be demonstrated within any team. Adaptability and flexibility of leadership styles must also be developed and used. I aim to continue and develop my participatory leadership approach with both colleagues and clients. This will enable me to evaluate, question and confirm all of my actions within my role as a SCPHN.8. Recommendations8.1 As a SCPHN I should lead change and encourage change in a flexible and appropriate manner to aid the development of healthcare services.8.2 I acknowledge that I need to develop my sk ills in applying quality care frameworks in practice to improve my quality assurance.8.3 I recognise that my conflict management skills should be developed through experience and used effectively to promote good leadership.9. AppendixAppendix 1 Adair, 1997 interaction of needs within the group11. ReferencesAdair, J (1979) Action Centred Leadership. Aldershot Gower Press.Barr, J Dowding, L (2010) Leadership in Health Care. capital of the United Kingdom Sage.Changing Minds (2002-2006) Transformational Leadership. (Online) Available athttp//www.changingminds.org/disciplines/leadershipstyles.htm (Accessed twenty-fourth June, 2010).Coe, C. Gibson, A. Spencer, N. 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