Enhancing Leadership Resilience at Ashford and St Peter's NHS Trust

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Established in 1998 from the merger of Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals, the Trust has gone through continuous development and improvement to reach its current position as the largest provider of acute hospital services to Surrey residents. It became a Foundation Trust in December 2010. Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of over 410,000 people living in the boroughs of Runnymede, Spelthorne, Woking, and parts of Elmbridge, Hounslow, Surrey Heath, and beyond. The Trust employs almost 4,500 staff members and offers a wide range of services across its hospital sites.

Organizational Need

• Ashford & St. Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust run two district general hospital in North West Surrey​
• The Director of Workforce Transformation needed to find a way to develop senior leaders’ resilience and self-awareness, so the team could function effectively during changing strategic priorities​
• Additionally, senior positions in 2014, including the CEO and Chief Nurse, had become vacant, and the Board needed support to recruit a well-balanced, high-performing team and avoid recruiting in their own image.

Lumina Learning Solution

Board Development Sessions: provided a common language and an ongoing understanding of leaders’ strengths and Overextensions. Supported feedback conversations as the Trust went through changes. ​

1:1 Coaching Sessions for all 18 Board members: ensured leaders’ Personal Development Plans and feedback conversations included Lumina Spark

Transformation Board and Associate Directors sessions: enabled the Trust to cascade the Spark model and provide a common language regarding personal development

Recruitment Portraits for Senior Appointment including doctors: ensuring cultural and capability fit​

Onboarding and job-share coaching: support and development at the start of new roles and for job-sharers​

Spark Qualification: HR, L&D and Recruitment team, so they could provide coaching support

Providing a ‘safe language’ and tool…

• Our view of the world is limited.
• We need information from others to complete the picture.​
• It helps you to grow, develop, and to perform in a more effective way.​
• It helps your team to grow into a high-performing team

Results

The HR Director for Workforce Transformation reports the following results:​

• Improved Board-level team performance through better understanding of personal Overextensions and personal accountability for behaviors and development needs
• The Trust has gained a ‘safe’ language for giving and receiving feedback, and Lumina Spark is included in all individuals’ appraisals and Personal Development Plans
• It has significantly improved leaders’ ability to identify their ongoing development needs by ‘tuning up’ behaviors and tempering Overextended behaviors 
• The Board has gained an awareness in the recruitment process of recruits’ fit against the Trust’s values as well as the Competency for the job
• It has provided a better onboarding process when leaders are recruited into a post in terms of understanding leaders’ ongoing development needs.