The NHS North West Leadership Academy (NHS NWLA) provides a modular Deputy and Aspiring Director Development offer focused on enabling participants to perform more effectively in their current roles as well as equipping them with a broader perspective and readiness for board-level roles through structured support, mentorship, and skill-building opportunities.
This offer aims to build confidence, strategic thinking, and decision-making skills in deputy and aspiring directors.
How does it work?
The Deputy and Aspiring Director Development Offer starts with a self-assessment powered through the Healthcare Leadership Model (HLM) tool.
The HLM evaluates their leadership capabilities through 9 leadership dimensions. Participants will be assigned a specialist facilitator to explore their final feedback report.
Participants will work with their facilitator to cross-reference their development needs with 19 support modules, which are mapped against the 9 leadership dimensions of the HLM. The modules are a series of development opportunities delivered across a blended learning access model. The NHS NWLA team will contact participants once they have made their bespoke selection of modules.
Eligibility, cost, commitment
NHS North West organisations may nominate suitable candidates for this offer. The responsibility for nominating suitable individuals is held by the organisation’s Chief People Officer, HR Director or equivalent executive leader.
Suitable nominations include current Deputy Directors as well as individuals looking to progress to an executive role as a next step.
There is no cost to NHS North West organisations to access the Deputy and Aspiring Director Development Offer; however, places are limited and each organisation will be allocated a set number of nominations for the offer.
To discuss allocations and nominations, please get in touch with an NHS North West Leadership Academy Senior System Lead.
This offer is not a programmatic model, so there is no standardised commitment required from participants; learning is tailored to the needs of individual participants, this could be one or several modules.
Modules
Strategic finance for non-finance leaders
An opportunity for (non-finance) deputy and aspiring directors to confidently understand, interpret and support the finance agenda faced by NHS trust boards.
Up to three-quarters of NHS organisations are in financial recovery with significant financial challenges, and CFOs are under increasing pressure to deliver financial and efficiency targets.
The aim of the development module is to improve the financial understanding and knowledge base of non-finance deputy and aspiring directors, in order that all prospective board members and those deputising understand better the financial issues faced by their organisation and across the wider NHS system. Examples of the subject areas that will be covered in the session include:
Financial framework and planning.
The oversight framework.
Financial governance in NHS organisations.
Board membership and relationships.
Finance board reports.
Understanding and contributing to the finance agenda.
This module is delivered exclusively as a full-day, face-to-face simulation session.
Up to three-quarters of NHS organisations are in financial recovery with significant financial challenges, and CFOs are under increasing pressure to deliver financial and efficiency targets.
The aim of the development module is to improve the financial understanding and knowledge base of non-finance deputy and aspiring directors, in order that all prospective board members and those deputising understand better the financial issues faced by their organisation and across the wider NHS system. Examples of the subject areas that will be covered in the session include:
Financial framework and planning.
The oversight framework.
Financial governance in NHS organisations.
Board membership and relationships.
Finance board reports.
Understanding and contributing to the finance agenda.
This module is delivered exclusively as a full-day, face-to-face simulation session.
Dynamic board report writing
This module focuses on the art of writing dynamic board reports that capture attention and convey essential information succinctly. Participants will learn techniques for structuring reports, presenting data visually and framing narratives to align with board priorities. Emphasis will be placed on clarity, brevity and tailoring content to diverse audiences. Practical exercises will help leaders refine their writing skills, ensuring their reports are engaging, actionable and aligned with organisational goals. By mastering effective report writing, participants can enhance their ability to influence decisions, support governance processes and contribute to strategic discussions within the NHS.
Leading change and transformation
The leading change and transformation module for aspiring and deputy directors in the NHS focuses on developing participants’ strategic leadership, as well as their change and transformation management skills. The sessions will equip leaders to drive change and transformation, improve patient outcomes, and manage complex healthcare systems. Key components include stakeholder engagement, managing resistance and fostering buy-in.
Participants will explore real-life case studies, learn practical tools for leading transformation, and strengthen collaborative working across boundaries. The sessions support the development of confident, compassionate, and inclusive leaders capable of navigating the evolving health and care landscape.
Participants will explore real-life case studies, learn practical tools for leading transformation, and strengthen collaborative working across boundaries. The sessions support the development of confident, compassionate, and inclusive leaders capable of navigating the evolving health and care landscape.
Thinking on your feet
This module prepares leaders to think quickly and communicate effectively in unpredictable situations. Participants will learn techniques for staying composed, structuring responses and articulating ideas clearly under pressure. By developing the ability to think on their feet, leaders can handle complex situations with poise, maintain credibility and foster trust within the NHS environment.
Increasing resilience in leadership
This module focuses on building resilience as a core leadership competency in the demanding NHS landscape. Participants will explore strategies for understanding and managing stress, maintaining emotional well-being, and fostering adaptability during times of change. By prioritising resilience, participants can lead with clarity, inspire their teams, and drive successful outcomes despite challenges.
Understanding and working with power
In this module, participants will be offered relatable ways to understand power dynamics in the workplace. They will be invited to consider how patterns of power affect themselves, their teams, and their work, while exploring a range of approaches to using power as part of effective leadership.
Participants will reflect on questions such as: How can power be used for the most positive impact? In what ways might one be getting drawn into unhealthy power dynamics? To what extent is power being used effectively to achieve desired outcomes?
The module also provides practical strategies to help participants use their power even more effectively.
Participants will reflect on questions such as: How can power be used for the most positive impact? In what ways might one be getting drawn into unhealthy power dynamics? To what extent is power being used effectively to achieve desired outcomes?
The module also provides practical strategies to help participants use their power even more effectively.
Leading in a political environment
This module equips leaders with the tools to navigate the political dimensions of healthcare leadership. Participants will explore strategies for managing stakeholder relationships, understanding political influences, and aligning organisational objectives with broader policy priorities. By mastering the art of political leadership, participants can drive progress, build credibility, and advance NHS priorities while maintaining transparency and ethical integrity.
Courageous conversations
This module prepares leaders to navigate courageous conversations with confidence and empathy. Participants will learn about frameworks to support engaging teams and developing capability, influencing for results and sharing their vision through the use of courageous conversations. They will develop and apply techniques to demonstrate leading with care by building psychological safety, fostering mutual understanding, and achieving productive resolutions. By mastering the art of courageous conversations, participants can create an open and transparent culture to lead with a mindset of improvement and innovation that enhances team performance in high-pressure NHS environments.
Effective challenge
Leaders must provide and receive challenges to foster personal development and create environments of honesty and integrity. The focus on reform and transformation across the health care sector requires organisational agility and responsiveness, which necessitates and encourages effective challenge. Leaders, positioned at the intersection of multiple systems and power dynamics, need to challenge decisions and norms constructively. This module empowers leaders to drive healthcare improvements by framing challenges positively, fostering trust and accountability, and encouraging open dialogue. Mastering these skills will inspire a mindset of improvement and innovation, create a high-performing work environment, and contribute to continuous improvement within the NHS.
Relationship building
This module emphasises the importance of building strong, authentic relationships in the complex NHS environment. With the ability to build impactful collaborative relationships key to leading successfully across organisational boundaries, participants will explore techniques for fostering trust, managing diverse teams, and navigating interpersonal dynamics to achieve collective success. This module equips leaders with the tools to communicate and listen effectively, create an inspiring shared purpose, help develop a positive and inclusive culture, and lead with care, enabling the effective engagement of stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem to collaboratively achieve results.
Leading anchor organisations
This module introduces the concept of anchor organisations and explores their role in improving health and economic outcomes in local communities. It examines how NHS bodies and other institutions can use their assets, land, employment, procurement, and partnerships to address the wider determinants of health. Through real-life case studies, practical tools, and structured reflection, participants will explore what it means to act as an anchor organisation, assess their current practice, and identify opportunities to strengthen their impact. The session includes group discussion, peer exchange, and access to resources to support ongoing action.
Leading with courage and compassion
This module explores the vital interplay between courage and compassion in effective healthcare leadership. Participants will examine how compassion, authenticity, and ethical decision-making foster psychological safety and meaningful engagement, especially in the face of complex NHS challenges. Through a blend of reflective practice, interactive activities and peer learning, the session supports leaders in navigating uncertainty, making tough decisions, and aligning actions with personal and organisational values. Whether delivered as a webinar, a masterclass, or a full-day workshop, this module empowers leaders to lead with integrity, inspire their teams, and contribute to compassionate, values-driven healthcare systems.
Managing complexity
This module equips people in senior leadership roles with tools and approaches to help them navigate a way through complexity and uncertainty. It is designed to help you lead effectively in organisational and system-level settings, especially when you’re working in hierarchies or political environments, trying to bring traditional silos together, or working across professional, sector or geographical boundaries. The aim is to help you tip the scales in your favour, find allies and get yourself some room for manoeuvre. In turn, this will help you to do real work on the issues that matter to you, and make progress even when obstacles feel intractable or the road ahead isn’t clear.
Influencing beyond your role
This module is about the “how”: how you effect change in complex, shifting environments where you may not have direct or positional power; where there is a cacophony of voices in the room; and where there are multiple perspectives and priorities.
In this module, we will look at: different forms of power and how you may have more power than you realise; working with small and large ‘p’ politics; and influence as a form of power in its own right. We will also introduce practical ways to shift people’s perspectives, so that you can start to shift systems. The aim is to help you develop skills and confidence to influence decisions, build coalitions, and drive impact at the organisational and system level.
In this module, we will look at: different forms of power and how you may have more power than you realise; working with small and large ‘p’ politics; and influence as a form of power in its own right. We will also introduce practical ways to shift people’s perspectives, so that you can start to shift systems. The aim is to help you develop skills and confidence to influence decisions, build coalitions, and drive impact at the organisational and system level.
Representing your organisation at executive level
The representing your organisation at executive level simulation day has been designed carefully to equip participants with the skills, confidence, and techniques needed to effectively present themselves and handle regulatory meetings when representing their organisations to external bodies, internal boards, or regulators.
This simulation addresses a critical need for improved preparation and confidence in high-stakes scenarios. In various situations, leaders may face scrutiny from regulators, non-executive directors, or investigators. Insufficient experience or gaps in knowledge can lead to a perceived lack of assurance, even when the facts are sound.
This module is delivered exclusively as a full-day, face-to-face simulation session.
This simulation addresses a critical need for improved preparation and confidence in high-stakes scenarios. In various situations, leaders may face scrutiny from regulators, non-executive directors, or investigators. Insufficient experience or gaps in knowledge can lead to a perceived lack of assurance, even when the facts are sound.
This module is delivered exclusively as a full-day, face-to-face simulation session.
Presenting with power, impact, and integrity
In today’s complex and fast-paced health and care environment, the ability to present with clarity, confidence and authenticity is essential for effective leadership. Whether addressing colleagues, stakeholders, or the public, NHS leaders are increasingly called upon to communicate with impact and integrity.
Presenting with Power, Impact and Integrity is a dynamic skills development programme designed specifically for senior health leaders and executives across the North West. It equips participants with the tools to craft compelling messages, engage diverse audiences, and enhance their personal presence, whether in the boardroom, at public events, or in virtual settings.
Developed by experienced facilitators with deep expertise in leadership development, communication, and the health and care landscape, this programme blends practical techniques with reflective learning. Participants will explore how to:
Develop and express a strong personal brand that reinforces their leadership identity and influence.
Deliver presentations that resonate and inspire.
Use voice, body language and storytelling to enhance impact.
Build trust and credibility through authentic communication.
Manage nerves and handle challenging questions with composure.
Align their personal style with organisational values and leadership expectations.
Rooted in the principles of integrity and influence, this programme supports leaders to communicate with purpose, amplifying their voice and vision across the NHS and beyond.
Presenting with Power, Impact and Integrity is a dynamic skills development programme designed specifically for senior health leaders and executives across the North West. It equips participants with the tools to craft compelling messages, engage diverse audiences, and enhance their personal presence, whether in the boardroom, at public events, or in virtual settings.
Developed by experienced facilitators with deep expertise in leadership development, communication, and the health and care landscape, this programme blends practical techniques with reflective learning. Participants will explore how to:
Develop and express a strong personal brand that reinforces their leadership identity and influence.
Deliver presentations that resonate and inspire.
Use voice, body language and storytelling to enhance impact.
Build trust and credibility through authentic communication.
Manage nerves and handle challenging questions with composure.
Align their personal style with organisational values and leadership expectations.
Rooted in the principles of integrity and influence, this programme supports leaders to communicate with purpose, amplifying their voice and vision across the NHS and beyond.
Building a Growth Mindset
This module introduces participants to the concept of a growth mindset and its transformative potential in leadership. The module introduces participants to 7 psychological building blocks and interactive exercises to develop a Growth Mindset. The building blocks address limiting beliefs, embracing challenge, reframing failure, fear and feedback and cognitive models of change. By adopting a growth mindset, leaders can unlock their potential, inspire their teams, and drive innovation within the NHS.
Innovation and creative thinking
Foster innovative mindsets and harness creative thinking to solve complex challenges and improve NHS service delivery and patient outcomes.
This module focuses on empowering and developing innovative leadership mindsets within the NHS. This is achieved through utilising a psychotherapeutic approach, experiential creative thinking to address real innovation challenges, reflection, and robust implementation strategies to create real lasting impact and change for all participants.
This module focuses on empowering and developing innovative leadership mindsets within the NHS. This is achieved through utilising a psychotherapeutic approach, experiential creative thinking to address real innovation challenges, reflection, and robust implementation strategies to create real lasting impact and change for all participants.
System OD and transformation
This module considers system-level organisational development (OD) and its application in driving transformative change in health systems. Participants will explore the principles of systems thinking, including interconnectedness, uncertainty and emergence and the application of these principles to Organisational Development. From a leadership perspective, the role of OD in transforming culture, shifting power, and aligning purpose will be explored through the lens of living systems. Leaders will use tools such as polarities mapping, leverage points and stakeholder analysis to develop approaches to building adaptive, high-performing organisations that are responsive to evolving healthcare needs.