References
Nurses and midwives perception of the leadership skills and attributes required of future leaders
Abstract
Aim:
Identify the skills and knowledge future nurse and midwife leaders might require in the next 6 years. Design/methodology/approach: An online questionnaire elicited health professionals’ perspectives on the future requirements for nurse and midwife leaders. Qualitative data were generated in response on health care and the likely leadership skills for the future. Data were extracted and analysed using qualitative content analysis.
Findings:
Four generic categories were abstracted from the core category ‘Nursing and Midwifery Leadership’. These were values/traits; creating positive healthcare cultures; digital capability/competence; and systems thinking. Limitations/implications. This first stage evaluation has gained a wide variety of perspectives regarding the perceived skills and knowledge future nurse and midwife leaders might need. This is important to enable those who deliver leadership development programmes to plan appropriately, ensuring their programmes are designed and adjusted in response to the needs of a shifting health and care landscape. However, over 50% of respondents were White, so the data may not be representative of the diversity of registered nurses and midwives. The findings may not have direct relevance to the global context due to geographical limitations.
Nurses and midwives in leadership positions have been recognised as essential for global health promotion, disease prevention, and achieving goals related to health and social care (Salvage and White, 2020; Klopper et al, 2020; Rumsey et al, 2022). To achieve health for all, nurses and midwives need to be provided with leadership development opportunities so they can be strategically positioned to respond to reform and positively transform health care (Adcock et al, 2022; James and Bennett, 2020).
Effective leadership is essential for building a sense of safety and improving performance and work productivity in healthcare teams (Labrague, 2024), particularly in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Ahern and Loh, 2021). Yet, mounting evidence has shown that health systems across the world, including in the UK, have grappled with the realities of postCOVID financial scarcity (Saghafian et al, 2022; Kentikelenis and Stubbs, 2022; Koumpias et al, 2022). This may affect longstanding health and care staff shortages (Hamouche, 2023), and the ability of systems to proactively invest in transformation and respond to increased population mental health needs (Toulany et al, 2022; Wong et al, 2023). This is despite expectations that all health professionals will continue to improve healthcare services, to provide high-quality care with a focus on patient safety (NHS England, 2019). Therefore, investment in nurse and midwife leadership development is vital if we are to continue to expand capability and capacity to positively influence health within these challenging contexts (Bond et al, 2022).
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