Board of Directors Meeting - 29 March 2012 - Devon Partnership ...

Board of Directors Meeting, 29 March 2012Agenda Item 9The Connect Approach - helping Boards respond to meeting 21 st Centuryleadership challengesThe Next Stage Review clearly set out a vision for the NHS which has quality, innovation, improvement andmeeting the clinical and care needs of patients and the public at its core. This needs to be achieved whilst alsoreducing costs and responding to the health care challenges raised by changing demographics and lifestyles.This vision and context sets an important challenge to NHS leaders. In terms of inclusion and diversity, we seethe challenge as two fold. Firstly, there is a critical need for leaders to develop a strategic response to meetingthe varying health and health service needs of different groups within our society, which is one in whichsignificant health inequalities already exist, that is aligned with their core strategy. Secondly, is the need todevelop a strategic organisational approach that considers the diversity implications of developing an engagedworkforce and future leadership that can realise the high standards of quality, innovation and improvementsought. The CONNECT programme provides a methodology to help NHS organisations respond to thesechallenges.CONNECT OutcomesThe programme will deliver: An understanding of the critical relationship between diversity and inclusion issues, the strategicpriorities of the NHS organisation and national NHS challenges e.g. World Class Commissioning,Healthy Ambitions, the DH report, Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP); Knowledge of how to identify and consider relevant diversity and inclusion issues in the strategicplanning and decision-making process; Increased commitment and capability to build diversity and inclusion into leadership of the NHSorganisation at every level; Awareness of the role and impact participant leaders within the programme have in creating greaterdiversity in leadership and increased ability to ensure diversity and inclusion is embedded across theirorganisation.Four Stages of the CONNECT ProgrammeCONNECT comprises four stages which combined, help to improvethe commitment, confidence and capability the Board needs to builddiversity and inclusion into the leadership of their organisation.Assess conducts an overview of the organisation’scontext including strategic priorities and challenges,approaches to and progress on inclusion and diversity, successes and challenges, patientand public profiles etc.Data is gathered using documentation and conversations with key stakeholders including inmost cases the Chief Executive and Chair, HR Director, Strategy / operations director,Medical Director and equality lead. It includes feedback from other key stakeholders such asgovernors, clinicians, nursing and other staff, patients and service users.Review seeks to understand the changing social, political and organisational environmentand priorities as it relates to diversity and inclusion, and how this affects the NHSorganisation. It works with individual Board members to explore how building diversity andinclusion into their own leadership approach can add value to their areas of responsibility andachieving the overall strategic priorities of the organisation. It uses the Strategic InclusiveLeadership & Governance Framework© and coaching-style conversations.Page 78 of 156