HCA Healthcare UK has launched a new fellowship programme in partnership with Cass Business School, giving ambitious junior doctors the skills, experiences and education to put them on the path to becoming the nation’s future healthcare leaders.

Introduced by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh at a launch event at Cass Business School on 23^rd January, the Chief Medical Officer Clinical Management Fellowships are the first of their kind to be offered by a private healthcare provider and are open to junior doctors across all sectors.

Alongside a fully-funded Executive Masters in Medical Leadership, the two year programme, beginning in August 2017, will combine part-management, part-clinical roles at one of HCA UK’s acute complex care hospitals in London or Manchester.

At the end of the fellowship the doctors will have:

• Skills and practical knowledge of healthcare management to take on leadership and management roles in the institutions in which they work;
• Benefits from the close mentorship of senior clinicians, world leading physicians and surgeons to progress their clinical learning and experience;

Cass faculty have developed the Executive Masters degree in collaboration with the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.

Applications for the fellowship programme are open from 23^rd January - 13^th February 2017 at www.hcacareers.co.uk

Future Leaders in Healthcare

Over the last decade there has been a rise in the profile of clinical leaders and the number of academic courses and qualifications to develop the next generation of clinical leaders.  In November 2016 the Government announced plans to put more clinicians in charge.

Dr Chris Streather, HCA UK’s Chief Medical officer and lead on the Fellowship said:

“Strong clinical leadership and management are critical in providing safe, effective and high quality care to patients.

“The HCA UK Fellowship offers eight promising junior doctors the opportunity to get practical experience of clinical management  in acute complex care hospitals alongside the education that will equip with them skills and knowledge to go on to become future leaders in healthcare.”

Dr Amanda Goodall and Dr Amit Nigam will lead the Masters degree at Cass.

Dr Goodall said:

“There is growing evidence, also from our research at Cass, that engaging doctors in leadership and management is good for both patient care and organisational performance.  Our new degree responds directly to these findings”.

Dr Nigam said:

“The course was designed specifically to meet the needs of doctors.  A key feature of our programme is its dual focus on personal development and research-based conceptual knowledge. The aim is to combine Masters level learning about people, innovation and change in healthcare with your own development as an effective leader in this environment. In doing so, we will be drawing on Cass Business School’s world-class research capabilities and experience of executive development. “

The HCA UK programme was shaped by fellows Dr William Wynn-Jones at HCA UK and Dr Azra Zyada at Cass whose respective fellowships have given them insights into clinical management.

Speaking of his experiences and the development of the HCA UK’s Fellowship Dr William Wynn-Jones said:

“Before starting my HCA UK Fellowship, I struggled to find training programmes that combined my dual interest of clinical medicine and healthcare management.  The HCA UK Chief Medical Officer Fellowship is in essence is the type of programme I would have liked to have found at much earlier stage in my training.

“Our collective aim with the Fellowship is to give a group of talented doctors the opportunity to become as well trained in healthcare management as they are in their chosen clinical speciality.”

Dr Azra Zyada added:

“My experience working in healthcare management outside of the NHS has developed skills and insights that I would not have gained through current postgraduate clinical training.

“Working with Cass has been an immense opportunity to invest in these practical insights and apply the current research as to what makes for better leadership in healthcare. We have spent the past two years creating educational offerings that are evidence-based. In addition, we have created partnerships with the NHS and medical establishments to ensure that these offerings are accessible and tailored to the needs of busy professionals."

For more information about the HCA UK Fellowship and requirements for applicants please go to www.hcacareers.co.uk

Cass Business School is also offering the Executive Masters in Medical Leadership (EMML) as a standalone course. For more information go to www.cass.city.ac.uk/execed-mscml