Empowering Leaders Across NHS Grampian: Building Confidence and Consistency in Leadership
A structured programme providing practical tools and peer support to strengthen leadership and improve patient care
Background
NHS Grampian recognised a growing need to strengthen leadership capability across its teams. Leaders were looking for practical tools, confidence, and a consistent approach to managing people and services. This prompted the introduction of a dedicated programme to empower leaders and create a culture of ownership and accountability.
What We Did
The organisation launched the Leading an Empowered Organisation (LEO) Programme, a licensed three-day leadership course followed by a half-day session three months later. The follow-up is designed for participants to share a quality improvement initiative they have implemented in their own teams, encouraging practical application and peer learning.
To meet demand, NHS Grampian trained 12 facilitators from varied disciplines, each committed to delivering a minimum number of cohorts annually. This collaborative approach ensured the programme could scale quickly and reach leaders across departments.
Challenges and Learning
The programme accelerated rapidly, with significant interest from staff across the organisation. While this was positive, it created unexpected administrative pressures around advertising, bookings, and follow-up sessions. Despite adding extra support, managing the logistics remains a challenge. The key learning? Factor in robust administration from the outset to sustain delivery at scale.
Impact
For staff: Participants gain a practical toolkit to support their leadership roles and build strong peer networks. The programme encourages leaders to take ownership of their responsibilities and re-engage with their teams.
For patients: Every participant develops and implements a quality improvement project, directly benefiting patient care. Sharing these projects at the follow-up session promotes best practice across the organisation.
For the organisation: A more consistent leadership approach is emerging, with leaders feeling invested in and supported. This renewed confidence is strengthening team culture and service delivery.
Looking Ahead
NHS Grampian continues to embed the LEO Programme as a cornerstone of its leadership development strategy, ensuring leaders have the tools and confidence to drive positive change.
Advice for Others
If you’re considering a similar initiative, plan for the administrative impact early. Efficient systems for advertising, booking, and follow-up are essential to keep momentum and avoid bottlenecks.
How this aligns with the Leadership Success Profile
“Creating an inclusive, compassionate and stimulating environment that enables teams to flourish and individuals to display their potential.”
This initiative aligns beautifully with the ‘Shaping Cultures’ cluster of the Leadership Success Profile, particularly under the “Fostering Inclusion and Psychological Safety” dimension. This is because the follow up sessions create a safe space for sharing experiences and learning from peers. This builds trust, inclusion, and psychological safety – key elements of the LSP.
The Scottish Government has published Improving Wellbeing and Working Cultures (IWWC), which sets out a vision to support and enhance local cultures across our health, social care and social work organisations through programmes of work at a national level that focus on the three pillars of wellbeing, leadership and equality. You can find out more about IWWC by reading this blog by Dr Elizabeth Kelly.
