Future NHS Leaders May Be Trained At Harvard

A programme designed to attract the NHS leaders of the future is set to be announced today.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will reveal details of the NHS Leadership Programme, which aims to transform the top tier of health service managers and staff into star performers.

Health bosses want three quarters of recruits to be current NHS staff and will appeal to senior doctors, nurses, managers and high-fliers to apply.

The remaining quarter will be brought in from industry.

The announcement comes as Mr Hunt is due to explain plans to turn around 11 hospitals put in special measures in the wake of the scandal over standards at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and subsequent Keogh Review, which looked at 14 NHS Trusts with high mortality rates.

Mr Hunt said: “If we want this country to be a world-leader, we need a world-leading health service led by the very brightest and best, so I am ambitious about seeking out fresh talent wherever we can find it.

“Mediocre management and lack of clinical leadership were key contributors to the tragedy at Mid Staffs.

“We are determined to learn that lesson, and train strong leaders to drive up standards across the NHS through this cutting-edge programme.”

A health source said: “This won’t be existing chief executives given remedial training and it won’t be recent graduates or youngsters showing promise.

“These are senior clinical people in the NHS and high-fliers who want to get to the top.”

The 10-month long programme, run by the NHS Leadership Academy , will start in the spring. It is thought £10m a year will be spent on it.

Eight weeks of the course will be held at a leading business school with discussions ongoing with UK business schools and Harvard in the US, insiders said.

Future NHS Leaders May Be Trained At Harvard