I am always encouraging groups and teams to create some Ground Rules in order to develop trust amongst their colleagues. If you don’t like the terminology, you might consider them as ‘principles for working together’.  Don’t let a title get in the way of what i

I read with interest an article in The Independent (Wednesday 10th December, 2014), regarding the costs that the NHS is spending on management consultants. As one of those management consultants, and the MD of a consultancy practice, I personally contribute to that spend. I am also sh

Over the last 15 years I have coached, mentored and provided Clinical Supervision to hundreds of nurses, doctors and managers in the health and social care sectors. As you might imagine, some of the issues that they discuss in their sessions can be concerning to hear. Whilst it is ess

Health Care Assistants (HCA) /Support workers now make up around a third of the caring workforce in hospitals, and research suggests that they now spend more time than nurses at the bedside. Health Education England (HEE) is leading work nationally to maximise the capabilities and con

Yesterday, at the end of her coaching session, a client told me that she had said to her partner earlier that morning that she wished she could have “a regular injection of Barbara, rather like the new HIV vaccination”. You can imagine how that might have been received. He

There is much written in the media, on a regular basis, about the compassion that is shown to patients, clients and service users by health care professionals. It is allegedly in short supply, which is not easy to accept  either for a fellow health professional or for someone on the r

It is through feedback that we develop. Behaviours and skills that need honing, changing, learning, acquiring, mastering – if we are unaware, we cannot  make the necessary adjustments. Not everyone welcomes feedback – particularly if it is negative and /or unsolicited. In

Slides from recent Leadership & Team Development workshops for clinical leaders (staff nurses and sisters) as part of their professional development programmes. This included Tuckman’s normal stages of team development and Belbin’s team roles. When it comes to leading

I’ve just recorded my first Audioboo (short spoken blog post): Reflections on the recent re-introduction of the Named Nurse, post Mid-Staffs

I recently ran an event with my colleague Mitzi Wyman, which we dubbed as a Christopher Columbus Day. Its formal title was Leading in Challenging Times and the day focused on leadership in today’s world of uncertainty. Christopher Columbus was an explorer-leader, requiring different s