Leadership and team work: why
you make a difference:
Kendall Lewis - Sexual Health Support worker HEFT
Val Hills -Professional Learning and Development
Facilitator, Royal College of Nursing
Aims and objectives
To provide the opportunity to think about
and share:
• Why effective team work matters to
patients and staff.
• What is effective team work
• Leading at the point of care - why you
make a difference.
Bob’s story
In 2s and 3s consider:
Listening to Kendall’s story
• What are the differences between the two
teams Kendall worked in?
• How did it impact on him?
What is an effective team?
Take a couple of minutes to think of a situation when you
worked in a really effective team - it can be at any
time and situation and does not only relate to working
in teams at work.
In 2s and 3s talk to your colleagues:
• What factors made you think this team was effective?
• How did you feel about working in this team?
• What impact did it have on others?
• Capture the essence of your conversations on the post
it notes.
A little bit of team work
The floating stick.
Team task – to lower stick to the floor
2 equal rows facing each other.
Hold out index fingers of both hands.
Place stick on top of index fingers.
Lower the stick
So what happened?
Effective teams
• Communicate, communicate, communicate (listening as
well as speaking and noticing body language)
• Clarity about roles and responsibility and mutual
accountability
• Treat each other with dignity and respect
• Value everyone's contribution
• Clear about their purpose - what they are there to
achieve
• Work together to achieve the task
• Create a culture where patients and staff feel safe ,cared
for and valued
• Recognises impact of loss and arrival of new team
members
• Effective teams develop – Form, storm, norm, perform
Team
“The best and most cost-effective
outcomes for patients and clients are
achieved when professionals work
together, learn together, engage in
clinical audit of outcomes together, and
generate innovation to ensure progress
in practice and service.”
NHS
10
Team Outcomes
• The quality of teamwork is directly and
positively related to quality of patient care
and innovation in healthcare.
• Where more employees work in teams the
death rate among patients is significantly
lower.
Borrill et al, 2001
11
Team Outcomes
• In those teams characterised by clear
leadership, high levels of integration, good
communication and effective team
processes, team members have good
mental health and low stress levels.
Borrill et al, 2001
12
Lack of feedback
and failure to deal
with conflict
Bitching blaming
and backbiting
Leading at the point of care
Front line staff have a tremendous influence
on the patient’s outcome and how they
experience care.
Leadership is about the ability to influence
others – who do you influence?
Thinking about yours leadership
role?
Case scenario
Nursing
Mr B is a 67 year old man who has been admitted to your
ward due to having a high fever and generally feeling
unwell. He is under- 24 hours monitoring due to his
condition getting worse.
You have been asked to perform a series of observation
on him such as temperature, blood pressure, respiration
counts etc. (MEWS). Whilst you were taking his
observations Mr B tells you that he is hungry and did not
eat his food provided to him at lunch time as he found it
difficult to swallow the food provided for him; he also
tells you that he did not tell the other health professionals
as he didn’t want to disturb them as everyone seems so
busy rushing around.
Acting as Leader - influence
•What action will you take?
•Who will you speak to about what Mr B said and why
and when?
•Where will you document what Mr B said and maybe
advice what could be done?
•How would you reassure Mr B?
•What about the observations?
•What may help or hinder you taking these steps?
•How does being in an effective team help support
your actions?
•How do team work, leadership and
management fit into this?
Take 5 mins to discuss this in your 2/3s
Making a difference
Being heard – it is important that your voice
is heard by those who have the authority
to act - make sure they are in a position to
listen to your concerns.
Be clear in how you say it – don’t demean
your status ie I am only a HCA
It is important to know what to do if they fail
to act
Persistence can pay off - the duty of care
rests with everyone in the team
At the front line of the 6Cs
How I can improve teamwork
Write a short sentence about how you will
actively contribute to your teams
effectiveness.
I will………
Useful RCN online resources
RCN Team effectiveness guides:
http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/78735/00
3115.pdf
RCN Working Well initiative:
http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/78638/00
2487.pdf
Human factors, impact on patient safety and team work:
http://www.rcn.org.uk/development/practice/patient_safety/
human_factors_teamwork
What have you learned/gained from this
session
Please complete a post-it and place it on the
learning tree.
Thank you