Overview

Greater self-awareness and insight into individual differences provide a basis for developing strategies for change and personal growth in a leadership role. To be an effective leader you need to continually reflect on your characteristics, skills, strengths and weaknesses and evolve to keep up with the ever-changing environment in which you operate. Understand yourself and how you interact with others, discover how to influence workplace culture and lead change by learning the methodology, behaviours and application of Adaptive Leadership.

Effective Clinical Leaders achieve best outcomes for patients by balancing the operations’ management and healthcare delivery in the health system. Functional knowledge and understanding of healthcare systems, as well as recognition of individual accountability is required.

Understanding the role of the Clinical Leader in healthcare risk management, supporting and leading clinical governance and dealing with the challenges that arise as part of management roles are essential underpinnings for effective clinical leaders.

Clinical Leaders will manage existing and emerging medico-legal risks in the healthcare system. Understanding what is involved and how to deal with the challenges of safe practice for individuals and the organisation are essential for effective leadership.

Underpinning professional health management is information, data and its management. An understanding of modern information systems is required, including the potential benefits and risks they bring. A sound understanding of technology, data security, privacy, breeches and cost benefits of e-health is essential.

The health system in every developed country is an extraordinarily complex set of organisations and stakeholder relationships. Healthcare systems deliver a wide range of services, from public health and preventive services in the community, to primary health care, emergency health services, hospital-based treatment in public and private hospitals, and rehabilitation and palliative care.

Management at both a corporate and local level requires application of recognised business system principles as they apply to healthcare delivery. Understanding and applying system theory in healthcare can lead to improved patient outcomes. Understanding best practice and continuous improvement will contribute to organisational excellence.

Clinical Leaders must be able to manage and allocate resources and understand priorities for healthcare expenditure. A foundation knowledge of accounting principles, processes and procedures and their general application to the health care system are important. Fundamental accounting practices, developing and implementing a budget for decision-making and managerial control, cost concepts, and the different methods of budgeting skills will be developed. The difference between technical and allocative efficiency and the allocation of scarce resources is a continuing management challenge, and familiarity with methods used to prioritise the distribution of finite fiscal resources is essential.

Health care planning necessitates activity at the tactical, operational, strategic and political level. Successful leaders approach problems strategically and they understand the value of a strategic framework and how strategic thinking helps manage changing environments. Importantly they know when a strategy requires modification to deliver the desired outcomes. Strategic leaders will explore problems from different angles, seek different points of view, and bring others along on the journey to identify solutions.

To achieve best outcomes for patients the healthcare system requires a balance of operations’ management and delivery. Clinical Leaders need to understand the areas of employment, governance and development of skills for managing a medical workforce. Human resource management is an essential skill for medical managers. It is important to have a clear understanding of the legal/industrial requirements in medical staff management/employment. Explore recruitment, employment, performance, wellbeing, professional development, workforce planning and workplace culture.