The Challenge
Senior clinical leaders carry huge responsibility. For their patients, their teams, their organisations, and the wider health system. Yet many feel isolated in their leadership, with little time to pause, share experiences, or build the strategic confidence needed to lead change.
St George’s saw an opportunity to create a culture of leadership where clinicians could learn together, strengthen connections, and drive improvement with renewed energy. Moving from operational firefighting to confident, collaborative leadership across the system.
Building a strong community of practice with a collective ambition for change.
The Approach
Working in partnership we co-designed a leadership development experience rooted in real clinical contexts. Using an agile learning design, the programme combined structured learning with space for reflection and personal growth.
Leaders explored what it means to lead across a complex system developing their voice, confidence, and influence through shared learning and practice. Group sessions created lively, supportive spaces where leaders connect beyond their disciplines, action learning and coaching helped them share experiences, and challenge thinking as they each delivered an improvement. Watch Stevens Story.
Stevens Story
The Impact
The lasting ripple of leadership confidence and collaboration across St George’s grows with each cohort. Senior clinicians describe feeling more connected, more reflective, and better equipped to lead change.
Since 2020, over 220 leaders have been through this development journey, each one supported through 1:1 coaching, peer learning, and service improvement projects that have delivered real results for patients and teams. Including a radiography team reallocation which has saved £250,000 by reducing the need for bank staff.
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Every participant said new networks had enhanced their clinical practice, and every leader valued the opportunity to learn beyond their clinical setting. The Trust has seen stronger cross-disciplinary relationships, raised confidence in decision-making, and more open, inclusive team cultures.
Together, these shifts are helping to embed a culture of leadership that is curious, connected, and capable of shaping the future of healthcare.
To learn more, you can read about other success stories of our leadership development here, our approach to here, and further examples across our work. You can also follow what St George’s is up to here.
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£500,000
Saved through effective improvement projects
Better Patient Pathways
Through Senior Clinical Leadership Development
11–14%
Improvement in innovation, cohesion, inclusion, and compassion
The ICE team created a strong and clear narrative across the workshops, action learning and coaching, balancing individual and group-based development. Critically, there was plenty of time for reflection, putting new skills and tools into practise and sharing the learning wider, with some fun and play along the way!
Julie Goldie
Associate Director of Nursing – Non-Medical Education and Training
