Emerging Leaders Programme

Unlock your leadership potential and drive positive change in cardiology and the NHS with the BCS Emerging Leaders Programme. Designed to empower healthcare professionals with the skills required to lead service transformation and extend their influence in the field of cardiology, this programme offers a unique opportunity for growth and development.

About the BCS Leadership Academy

Established in 2019, the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Leadership Academy is dedicated to nurturing leadership skills among healthcare professionals. Our participants gain invaluable insights into clinical leadership and change management within today's NHS landscape. They are guided by seasoned health service leaders and managers, including Professor Sir Chris Ham, co-chair of the NHS Assembly, emeritus professor of health policy and management at the University of Birmingham, and senior visiting fellow at The King’s Fund, where he served as Chief Executive from 2010 to 2018.  Professor Ham emphasises the importance of leadership development in healthcare:

'Leadership development programmes are essential in supporting clinicians to take on leadership roles. These programmes offer learning about the context in which healthcare is delivered and the skills needed to manage people and resources. Above all, they equip clinicians with the confidence to lead improvements in patient care and to understand the ‘bigger picture’ in which they and their colleagues work.'

Programme Highlights

By participating in this programme, you will be able to:

Drive Service Improvement: Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to lead service improvement projects in cardiology and the NHS.
Expand Your Leadership Horizons: Gain professional leadership skills that extend beyond cardiology, empowering you to make a broader impact on healthcare.
Network with Industry Experts: Connect with like-minded colleagues across the UK through our peer-to-peer network, opening doors to collaboration and innovation.
Advance Your Career: Benefit from the valuable lessons learned in the programme to advance your career in clinical leadership.

Eligibility

The BCS Emerging Leaders Programme is open to senior cardiology trainees, recently appointed consultants, senior nurses, physiologists, and radiographers working in cardiology multi-disciplinary teams. To be eligible for the programme, applicants must be BCS members and fall into one of the following categories:

  • Trainees within one year of CCT
  • Consultant cardiologists within 3 years of first appointment in June 2023
  • Physiologists in the HSST/RCP program to consultant clinical scientist
  • Nurses and radiographers at Band 8A and above

2023/24 Programme Details

The upcoming cohort of the BCS Emerging Leaders Programme will commence in November 2023, featuring in-person sessions at the BCS offices in London. The final day will be scheduled within the BCS Annual Conference, which takes place on 3-5 June 2024 in Manchester. Each delegate will complete a service improvement project at their Trust and participate in a Healthcare Challenge with a small group on the Programme. The service improvement project is a pivotal component of the programme and will require dedicated time and effort as projects will be presented at the BCS Annual Conference 2023, where attendance is expected.

Financial Considerations

Participation in the programme is funded by the BCS, with support from various industry companies, without any influence on programme content. Delegates are responsible for their travel costs for the programme days held in Fitzroy Square, London, and to attend the final meeting at the BCS Annual Conference.

A sample delegate programme is available here

Join us on your journey towards leadership excellence in cardiology. The BCS Emerging Leaders Programme is your platform for transformation and growth.

The application deadline for 2023/2024 has now closed.

Day 1 - 30 November
  • Programme introduction and expectations
  • My leadership journey: how to get established and succeed in cardiology – building teams and working with others
  • Understanding the role of managers and how they can help
  • Meet previous ELP delegates – top tips on how to get the most out of the programme
  • NHS infrastructure and how the NHS works
  • Coaching workshop
Day 2 - 20 December
  • Leading successful and sustainable projects for quality improvement
  • Development of self as a leader
Day 3 - 18 January
  • Emotional intelligence: Understanding self to understand others
  • DiSC personality tool - introduction
  • Leadership and DiSC: It’s all about the EI
  • Healthcare Challenge preparation
Day 4 - 13 February
  • NHS funding and the development of successful business cases
  • Group preparation time - HCC
Day 5 - 18 March
  • Compassionate leadership
  • Networking lunch with supporting pharma company reps
  • Healthcare Challenge presentations
Day 6 - 12 April
  • Managing difficult conversations and developing resilience
Day 7 - 30 April
  • Building team effectiveness
  • Human Factors
  • Preparation for the end of the programme
Day 8 - 20 May
  • Running effective meetings workshop
  • Supporting consistent, constructive and fair evaluation of the actions of staff involved in patient safety incidents
  • National priorities for Cardiology
  • National leadership of the NHS
  • Celebration event – presentation of projects
Yearbook

The yearbook for the 2023/23 cohort of the Emerging Leaders Programme, containing delegate information and their project abstracts will be available soon to view.

Posters
Yearbook

The yearbook for the 2021/22 cohort of the Emerging Leaders Programme, containing delegate information and their project abstracts, is now available to view.

Posters
2020/2021 Cohort Yearbook
Posters
Yearbook

The yearbook for the first cohort of the Emerging Leaders Programme, containing delegate information and their project abstracts, is now available to view. The posters produced by delegates for presentation at the end of the cohort can also be viewed below.

View the 2019/20 ELP cohort yearbook

Posters