In an inspiring presentation at the FLML conference, Michael West set out clear evidence linking leadership and a range of important outcomes 
within health services, including patient satisfaction, patient mortality, organisational financial performance, staff engagement and overall quality of care.
His presentation was based on extensive review of literature on leadership from the last ten years. One observation derived from this work was the paucity of high quality research into leadership in healthcare and impact on patient outcomes (West et al, 2015).
However, transformational and authentic leadership styles were seen as good predictors of quality outcomes.
The research also highlighted the importance of shared leadership as a predictor of team effectiveness. The overall concept underpinning the study called for leaders at every level to ensure direction, alignment and commitment within teams and organisations, consistent with vision, values and strategy.
West and colleagues concluded that the “challenges that face health care organisation are too great for leadership development to be left to chance”. They strongly urged that all leadership approaches interventions should be based on robust theory and strong empirical support.
The request for robust evidence is sweeping the NHS. Dearden assessment processes provide a solid base on which to build an individual’s further development.
If you wish to discuss any of the information we have shared, please contact Sarah Banton on sarah.banton@deardensearchselect.co.uk or 07966 330310.
West, M., Armit, K., Loewenthal, L., Eckert, R., West, T., and Lee, A. (2015) Leadership and Leadership Development in Healthcare: The Evidence Base. London, Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.