Emerging Leaders Programme

Designed to equip delegates with the skills required to lead service change and importantly to provide professional leadership more widely within cardiology and the NHS

The British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Leadership Academy was established in 2019 to provide leadership skills to healthcare professionals. Participants in the programme are given an insight into clinical leadership and change management in the NHS today, and taught by experienced 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 was Chief Executive between 2010 and 2018:

'Leadership development programmes are essential in supporting clinicians to take on leadership roles. These programmes offer learning about the context in which health care 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. High performing health care organisations around the world recognize the value of clinical leadership and are rightly admired for the excellent care they provide. It has been a privilege to contribute to the British Cardiovascular Society's Emerging Leaders Programme and to engage with cohorts of impressive future leaders who are committed to make a difference in their careers.'

The BCS Emerging Leaders Programme is open to senior cardiology trainees, recently appointed consultants and senior nurses, physiologists and radiographers working in cardiology multi-disciplinary teams to develop the knowledge and skills to drive service improvement and importantly to provide professional leadership more widely in cardiology and the NHS.

Dr Sree Kondapally, who graduated from the cohort 3 ELP programme in 2022, benefitted from the Programme in the following ways:

'Firstly, the ELP was transformative in enabling me to embrace the notion that clinical leadership is a continuum of excellence demonstrated in day-to-day clinical practice. Secondly, it laid a solid foundation in the theory and practice of clinical leadership, providing me with the confidence to take on more and more leadership roles at work. Thirdly, through its peer-to-peer network, the ELP opened hitherto unimaginable opportunities for collaboration with like-minded colleagues across the UK. Fourthly, the unrivalled mentorship opportunities at the ELP served not only as a platform for continuing professional development, but also as a benchmark of best practice to follow. Lastly, thanks to the lessons learned in the programme, the ELP played a pivotal role in my recent appointment as the Deputy National Audit Lead for the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) and as an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur.'

This is a highly competitive programme with limited spaces available. Prospective applicants must be BCS members and will be trainees within one year of CCT, consultant cardiologists within 3 years of first appointment in June 2022, physiologists in the HSST/RCP programme to consultant clinical scientist, or nurses and radiographers at Band 8A and above.

The 2023/24 cohort of the BCS Emerging Leaders Programme will commence in the autumn of 2023 and will be delivered face to face at the BCS offices with the final day in June 2024 as part of the BCS Annual Conference. 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 key component of the programme and will require a dedicated time commitment given that these projects are competitive and will be presented at the BCS Annual Conference 2023 where attendance is expected.

Please note that participation in the programme is funded by the BCS with thanks to support from a number of industry companies, however the companies do not influence the 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