The recent Ambulance Leadership Forum has been rated by the attendees as ‘the best ALF yet’. Feedback from delegates gave excellent marks to the content of the sessions as well as the venue and the programme composition.
In excess of 120 delegates attended to hear a variety of presentations as well as learn more about product developments from the NHS National Innovation Centre – who helped support the event financially.
The morning sessions were focused on leadership in challenging times and staff engagement in transformation. Professor Michael West from Aston University walked around the auditorium as he challenged attendees to relate recent staff survey results to a range of leadership and communication skills.
An early point that resonated was, ‘Leadership is about doing the difficult not managing the inevitable’.
The outcome of political discussion and negotiations was far from inevitable as Nigel Edwards from the NHS Confederation spoke of potential policy changes with a new coalition government.
Nando’s restaurants have been voted the ‘best big company to work for ’ in the Sunday Times poll and ALF were lucky to have their HR Director Julia Claydon share with the audience some of the reasons why. Valuing staff is obviously key and engagement is essential.
Rewards and area competition have a place too although a paid four week sabbatical for all staff on completion of long service may be difficult for ambulance services to implement. The addition of a ‘fun budget’ would also be new to the NHS! Nando’s really do look after their staff and have shown enormous growth and very respectable profits in return.
As well as participate in the plenary Forum, delegates at ALF were able to study at first hand and view designs for three new products currently in development by the NHS National Innovation Centre. An ‘intelligent mattress’ that can monitor various vital signs, a new concept in carry chair design and a product to help crews manage a fractured neck of femur. All are being developed in response to requests from staff and it is very exciting to see these ideas being progressed from sketchy ideas through to manufacture.
Unipart are a great UK success story and Charles Gray (Group director) spoke of how LEAN thinking and doing things based on the Toyota model meant the Unipart Way is now in use by many international companies. Interestingly, good communication and involvement of all staff was again highlighted as a key to success. Process mapping involving staff appeared to give very different information when compared to a manager’s description of what should happen.
Every sector that has adopted the Unipart Way have always started off saying “it won’t work here because we are different” – that must sound very familiar to those working in the Ambulance sector!
Ben Page, the charismatic CEO of Ipsos Mori gave a lively presentation regarding public opinion regarding the NHS and the ambulance service and Sir John Oldham spoke of how quality and productivity will be essential drivers as the NHS seeks to deliver ‘more for less.’
A great benefit of the ALF conference is in bringing together so many of the decision makers from across the Ambulance sector. At this event, attendees included delegates from the Department of Health, Ambulance Commissioning, the Island services, the devolved administrations and all the English services. The collective wisdom of attendees was put to good use by Peter Bradley and Kathy Jones in a facilitated consultation session on the Ambulance Review: 5 Years on.
It was interesting to see that on a show of hands about 50% of attendees had been recruited by the new ambulance trusts since the publication of Taking Healthcare to the Patient in 2005. The follow on review will look at what has been achieved since 2005 – (and there is a lot!) as well as suggesting what next steps are required to ensure patients and the wider community continue to get excellent health care from their Ambulance Services.
It is hoped that the new Health Minister will want the completed report published in the Autumn – maybe launching at the next ALF? Further information will be made available on this website as it becomes available.
