Retention Charter action 4.2

Action 4.2: Support the leadership skills development of all Psychiatrists from all career grades, recognising this as a core expression of professional identity.

Action 4.2 is part of Domain 4 of the RCPsych's Retention Charter for employers - which relates to developing medical leadership.

What stage is your organisation at?

Use this maturity matrix to assess what stage your organisation is at, in terms of Action 4.2.

Advice and recommendations

• Advertise leadership opportunities for psychiatrists during their induction into their role/placement, allowing them to make the most of such opportunities early on and ensuring equitable access.
• Review the leadership training content within the local postgraduate teaching programme, ensuring that this remains up to date, is aspirational, and supports Psychiatrists in developing systems-wide leadership skills. For example, such training could include exposure to ICBs (in England), IJBs (in Scotland), LHBs and RPBs (in Wales), ICSs and AIPBs (in Northern Ireland), commissioning, transformation projects, and managing health inequalities and population health. Leadership training should additionally include practical experience, in addition to teaching relevant theory, through exposure to leadership activities and learning methodologies such as action learning sets.
• Encourage clinical supervisors to consider leadership competencies and opportunities for their supervisees in regular clinical practice (e.g. opportunities for them to chair ward rounds or team meetings), supervision and appraisal meetings, and when undertaking workplace-based assessments.
• Ensure that leadership training opportunities are offered equitably across all types and grades of doctors by inviting foundation doctors, core trainees, SAS doctors and LE doctors/clinical fellows to join relevant programmes. Encourage specialist trainees to avail of these opportunities through their special interest sessions.
• Create a catalogue/database of special interest sessions available in leadership and advertise these amongst higher trainees, such as opportunities for them to lead specific pieces of work, quality improvement initiatives, and contribute to organisational development and service design/re-design. Consider advertising these or similar opportunities to other career grades of psychiatrists as well and support them to have protected time for completing them.
• Create and advertise formal leadership roles for all career grades of psychiatrists (e.g. LE doctor/clinical fellow representative, SAS doctor representative, Foundation doctor representative, Core trainee representative, Higher trainee representative, IMG champion etc) to represent the views of their peers and work with senior clinical leaders to improve working practices and clinical outcomes.
• Organise ‘meet the leader’ sessions where psychiatrists can network with senior medical leaders and role models. Extend this offer by arranging shadowing opportunities for those who are interested to shadow senior clinical leaders and learn more about their day-to-day work, responsibilities, and skills required.
• Offer mentorship and/or coaching training and maintain a database of Psychiatrists willing to provide mentorship or coaching to colleagues to enhance their skills and help them to navigate leadership careers.
• Advertise external leadership training, schemes, and relevant conferences to interested Psychiatrists, such as considering nominating individuals for the RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow scheme.
• Hold workshops and careers advice sessions to support SAS doctors wishing to become specialists, and doctors wishing to undertake the portfolio route to become consultants if they wish.

Links and resources

• The SAS charter has been jointly produced by the British Medical Association (BMA), NHS Employers, Health Education England, and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to promote the development of SAS doctors and ensure they are effectively supported.
  
• NHS Employers have developed various resources such as a monitoring tool, evaluation toolkit, and implementation checklist to support organisations in implementing the SAS charter.
• The RCPsych has website page focused on ‘SAS career development’.
• The RCPsych curricula for core psychiatry training and higher psychiatry training schemes include specific competencies relating to leadership skills and performance.
• The RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme offers an opportunity for higher trainees to use special interest time over a 12-month period to engage in a national leadership development programme and become apprentice leaders in their local organisation. Each Trust can apply to nominate one doctor for the scheme. In 2024/2025, early and mid-career SAS doctors will also be eligible for this scheme. 
• The National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow Scheme, organised by the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM), is a competitive programme where doctors in training can apply to spend 12 months working in healthcare-affiliated organisations to develop skills in leadership. (membership needed to access link)
• A ‘Leadership and Management Study Guide’ has been produced by the RCPsych to support resident doctors in developing their leadership knowledge and skills. This guide also includes tips for trainers.
• The RCPsych additionally offers various schemes, by competitive application, for higher trainees to take on formal leadership roles during their special interest time including the Parliamentary Scholars Scheme , Sustainability Scholars Scheme and Presidential Scholars Scheme.
• A resource pack has been created by the NHS Leadership Academy to support leadership development conversations between supervisors and resident doctors.
• Doctors of all career grades can apply to become members of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM). Paid membership to this faculty provides benefits such as access to mentorship, networking opportunities, and a range of resources to support leadership development.
• The RCPsych website provides a wealth of information and resources to support doctors applying for accreditation for specialist registration in psychiatry, including an online guidance webinar and answers to frequently asked questions.
• The RCPsych has published a book authored by Prof Nandini Chakraborty titled: ‘The non-training route to the specialist register in psychiatry’.
• The General Medical Council (GMC) also provides specialty specific guidance for portfolio pathway applications.
• The GMC have produced a mentoring toolkit to support organisations in establishing and running mentorship schemes.
• The RCPsych has a webpage focused on coaching and mentoring which provides links to various resources.
  

Examples of good practice

During the academic year 2024/2025, the North West Deanery offered a funded opportunity for higher specialty trainees (ST4+) and GPST1-3 trainees to complete a PGCert module in Medical Leadership at a local University (Edge Hill University).

Further information

• About the Retention Charter
• Next action: 4.3 >>
• Other actions in domain 4
• Other domains in the Retention Charter