Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the managerial capacity of the NHS, particularly at chartered professional level, to lead the systems changes required to deliver their stated priorities.

We recognise that strong and effective leadership and management is critically important in the NHS and has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the NHS and workplace culture. The Government commissioned General Sir Gordon Messenger to review leadership capacity and capability across the system. His report, Leadership for a Collaborative and Inclusive Future, published in June 2022 in an online-only format, focusses on the best ways to strengthen leadership and management across health and with its key interfaces with adult social care in England. The review identified seven recommendations to foster and replicate the best examples of leadership through improved training, career development and talent management, and through embedding inclusive cultures and behaviours within health and care. These are being taken forward by NHS England, working in partnership with Skills for Care.

The NHS Leadership Academy provides opportunities for managers to develop themselves and to aid them in supporting the development of their staff through masterclasses, seminars, networking opportunities and more formal development programmes.