The National Clinical Leadership Development Project is an exciting and important initiative underway in the HSE South. The aim of the project is to implement a national approach to the development of clinical leadership in nursing and midwifery in Ireland. A pilot of a National Clinical Leadership Development Framework (the Framework) commenced in seven sites in the Cork city area on June 14th and will continue until December 2011. An external evaluation of the pilot will inform the final version of the Framework in 2012 in advance of its national roll-out.
- The National Clinical Leadership Development Framework contains the following:
- A Clinical Leadership Pathway for Nursing and Midwifery
- Seven Clinical Leadership competencies and behavioural indicators for all grades of nursing and midwifery
- Clinical Leader resources - participant and facilitator toolkits
- Clinical Leader support interventions - mentoring or coaching or action learning and competency specific workshops
- A Learning and Development Portfolio
The NCLDP definition of a Clinical Leader is “a competent professional involved in providing direct and indirect clinical care, who enables oneself and influences others to improve care” (HSE, 2010)
A central component of the Framework is the seven competencies around which all the resources have been developed.
Experience of participants on the Pathway to Date
“I can see how improving my clinical leadership competencies will benefit patients and staff in the service we provide in ED” Katy Lynch, CNM2, Emergency Department.
Feedback from participants on the Clinical Leadership Pathway has been very positive. Nurses and Midwives at all grades overall appear to be enthused by the prospect of their developmental journey.
“The NCLDP will empower me to develop my competencies further and in turn will be of benefit to the everyday running of my unit, the patients I will meet and the colleagues I work with” Christine O’Sullivan, Staff Nurse, Paediatrics
As a Project Team we are also energised by the significant learning that will inevitably evolve from the Pilot.
“The NCLDP will be useful for both personal and professional development but also it validates your current practice in this challenging working environment. This framework of competencies enlightens us to strive for excellence throughout clinical practice” Marie McSweeney, CNM2, Seahorse Children’s Day Unit
Local Support Structures
Implementation has been achieved through the support of the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit and the Centres of Nursing & Midwifery Education in the Cork/Kerry area, and Nurse Practice Development Units in the pilot sites; staff from these units have trained as Action Learning Set facilitators and clinical leadership competency workshop facilitators. Mentors and coaches have been trained as part of the project to provide one-to-one participant support.
Finally, we wish to acknowledge the active engagement of staff in the following participating sites without whom, this learning process not be possible:
Cork University Hospital
Cork University Maternity Hospital
Mercy University Hospital
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital
St.Finbarr’s Hospital
North Lee Mental Health Services
North Lee Public Health Nursing Services
The National Clinical Leadership Development Project is funded by the National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery
ONMSD Lead: Joan Phelan
Project Manager: Catherine Killilea
Email: catherine.killilea@hse.ie Tel: 021 492 7460
Project Officers: Miriam Bell, Bernadette Toolan
Last updated on: 22 / 09 / 2011