Are you a leader of a primary care network, integrated care system or clinical network?

If yes, then this course will provide you with everything you need to know to run a successful network.

The Network Leadership Programme consists of four e-learning modules delivered over five months, with three live Community of Practice sessions facilitated by experts in network leadership Professor Becky Malby, Sophie Edwards and Carol Read, supported by the Health Systems Innovation Lab team and expert guests.

The programme will cover the following topics:

• Leading networks
• What makes networks work?
• Engaging members and adding value
• Sustaining your network

This course will provide you with the foundations to better understand your network and equip you with the tools to achieve your network aims and purpose. Alongside the e-learning that you undertake on your own you will also be part of a collaborative community with the participants of the course, in ‘live’ learning sessions with the course team, and you will receive a copy of the book Networks in Healthcare by Prof Malby and Murray Anderson Wallace.

There are no formal entry requirements for the Leading Networks in Health and Care Programme but the course has been designed for those engaged in health and social care networks such as clinical networks, primary care networks – you will be asked to share the name and purpose of your network with the course team and co-participants.

We provide a chat service to talk to your co-participants. You might also want top set up a Whats App Group to share all the issues you are facing as network leaders. 

This course is aimed at network leaders and members in health and social care, grappling with the challenges of leading an effective network. This will include:

• Network Leaders 
• Aspiring Network Leaders
• Network Members

Working in, for example:

• Primary care networks (PCNs)
• Clinical Networks
• Integrated collaborations/ care system

Beyond the modules

 In addition to the scheduled elements of the Network Leadership Programme the other benefits you will enjoy include:

• A copy of “Networks in Healthcare: Managing Complex Relationships” book authored by Prof Becky Malby and Murray Anderson-Wallace 
• A suite of materials to support ongoing application of learnings
• Opportunities to address live challenges and issues within your context
• Knowledge, ideas exchange and support from your peer group

Through this course, participants will:

• Learn how to make your network work
• Be equipped with tools and techniques to assess your network’s health and to secure better impact for your network
• Improve the engagement of network members
• Be part of a learning community with like-minded individuals

This course has been curated by Professor Becky Malby of the Health Systems Innovation Lab, Carol Read and Sophie Edwards.

Professor Becky Malby

Becky is Professor in Health Systems Innovation at London South Bank University, where she leads the Health Systems Innovation Lab, providing change management support to systems change work; leadership programmes for emerging leaders, network leaders and patient leaders; and catalysing spread through our international network. She has a track record in systems innovation, organisational change, leadership development, leading primary care and is an international expert in networks leadership across health and social care. She leads a number of Primary Care Development initiatives including a collaboration with Modality and RCGP to support Primary Care Leaders; and the Primary Care Networks Academy. Her experience is an unusual combination of leader, manager, researcher, change agent and entrepreneur. She is known to be an energetic and enthusiastic leader of change and a forward thinker. She has made sustained and demonstrable impact through her work on the quality of health services. Her work on ’10 Leaps Forward – Innovation in the Pandemic’ has had global reach.

Sophie Edwards

Sophie is a highly experienced organisation development consultant and leadership coach specialising in network design and development. Prior to becoming a consultant, Sophie spent over a decade in the voluntary health sector, including several years as Chief Executive of ARMA, the national umbrella body for arthritis patient and professional organisations. Here she built national and local networks for service improvement, which delivered demonstrable change in the sector. As well as being part of the Faculty of Health Foundation’s Support to Networks programme, she is currently Specialist Adviser to NHSE & I’s Source4Networks programme for 3000+ network leaders in health and care. As a Development Advisor for NHS England & Improvement’s Time for Care programme, she also work directly with Primary Care Networks across the country, supporting them to change and improvement

Carol Read 

Carol is an innovation coach, online tutor and founder of a design thinking community - supporting individuals to develop key leadership skills and strengths.  She has over 26 years’ experience in the NHS as a nurse innovator and was named as a top 50 innovator in health by the Hospital Service Journal for her work on the first skincare range for the NHS.  Passionate about innovation and networks she undertook a qualitative research study to define how to develop clinical innovators in healthcare and presented the findings at MedX Stanford University.  The research highlighted the need for strong networks and mentorship to promote innovation and develop innovators, this led to her inclusion as an innovation contributor to the first MOOC from MedX. Carol brings a unique set of knowledge and experience to the team having worked as a previous NHSE Clinical Fellow leading transformational change at International level and as an alumni and faculty member of the NHS Digital Academy.  She is clear that network leadership and innovation are the way to drive change in health and social care.         

The Leading Networks in Health and Care Programme is facilitated through an online learning platform and the live sessions will be delivered on Zoom. Please review our guidance on virtual learning for the live sessions

At the start of the programme, you will receive a welcome pack that contains all of the materials you need to take part.

The modules content is a mixture of talks, exercises and discussions with the rest of the group. The programme is designed to be highly engaging and we would expect that you share learning, complete exercises and reflect.

The course modules are self-managed and content will be released to you on a monthly basis and on completion of the previous module.

The live sessions will be delivered on Zoom.

• Introduction session  - Wed 30th June 2021, 4pm - 6pm
• Module 1 (month 1) 3 hours- released on Mon 28th June 2021
• Live community of practice 1 - Wed 21st July 2021, 4pm - 6pm
• Module 2 (month 2) 2 hours - released Mon 19th July 2021
• Live community of practice 2 - Thur 9th Sept 2021, 4pm - 6pm
• Module 3 (month 3) 2.5 hours - released Mon 9th Aug 2021
• Live community of practice 3 - Wed 6th Oct 2021, 4pm - 6pm
• Module 4 (month 4) 2.5 hours - released Mon 6th Sept 2021

Through course participation, tasks and reflections throughout the course.

A certificate of completion is provided.

For information on our policies (payment, cancellation, terms and conditions, etc.) visit our general information page.

If you have a question that we haven’t answered here, please contact lsbushortcourses@lsbu.ac.uk and we will respond to your query within 24 hours.