HomeMarch 2016National Leadership Academy

National Leadership Academy

The HSE is to create a National Leadership Academy comprising the best thought and practice based leaders from across the system to lead, influence and develop leadership standards practice and succession management, writes Maureen Browne.

Ms. Rosarii Mannion
Ms. Rosarii Mannion

This was one of the priorities of the People Strategy 2015 – 2018, Ms. Rosarii Mannion, HSE National Director of HR told the HMI Dublin Mid Leinster Regional Meeting in the Dublin Dental Hospital.

She said a key focus for 2016 would be to examine the role of managers and to establish the key skills they required.

“We will work with leadership colleagues to embed systematic processes to identify talent and support leadership and career development. We will develop coaching and mentoring as a key leadership and line management support in facilitating improved performance and service developments and we will work with professional organisations and staff representative associations to develop Continuous Professional Development responses that support improved performance.  Staff will be supported to achieve professional registration and credentialing.”

Ms. Mannion said the HSE is also to work in collaboration with stakeholders to develop a single purposeful Leadership and Management Development Strategy.

The objective of the work on leadership and culture will be to have “effective leadership at all levels, working collectively towards a common purpose, creating a caring and compassionate culture and inspiring innovation, creativity and excellence throughout the organisation.”

There will be particular emphasis on engaging clinicians and supporting them in leading change and quality improvements at all levels.

Ms. Mannion said they would refresh and validate leadership competency framework to recruit, develop and retain staff of the highest calibre across all staff groupings.

Leaders would be developed and supported leaders to provide direction and purpose, to engage effectively with service users, to develop a leadership purpose and to strengthen leadership capacity to manage transformational change and reform with a particular focus on a coaching facilitative style of management.

They planned to develop accountability arrangements so that each staff member and teams were clear regarding their role, decision-making authority and fit within the organisation in line with the Performance Accountability Framework for the health services.

The strategy aims to ensure that health outcomes for service users and communities are central to leadership accountability and measurement frameworks.  Performance and accountability review systems are to be put in place at individual, team and service levels.