The King’s Fund is offering a free, three-week course* for people working in health and social care to develop an understanding of how to lead with compassion and kindness.
The course is for anyone working in, or interested in health and social care in its broadest sense, regardless of experience or role. It’s designed to introduce participants to some of the foundations of leadership, kindness, and compassion, exploring why these qualities matter now more than ever, and how to develop personal practice of kind and compassionate leadership.
In a recent blog post, The King’s Fund proposes seven key actions for health and care leaders to help address the workforce crisis. Making compassionate leadership the foundation of leadership is first on the list.
In the blog post, authors Suzie Bailey and Michael West say: “While most leaders are committed to the maxim that ‘our people are our most important asset’ and there are many good and outstanding examples of teams and organisations in health and social care where staff wellbeing is a priority, this is often not the experience of staff in practice.”
They add that compassionate leadership is not a soft option, “it requires huge courage, resilience and belief, and sustaining cultures of high-quality compassionate care requires compassionate leadership at every level.”
Research shows a compelling link between compassion in leadership and staff wellbeing, team performance, and better outcomes for patients and service users. The need for kindness and compassion in health and care leadership is increasingly being reflected in national policy work across the UK.
The course is online and designed to be completed at the participant’s own pace, with a suggested time of two study hours per week. Click here to enrol.
* Course can be extended for a fee.
