An Introduction to Leading with Kindness and Compassion in Health and Social Care

This introductory three-week course from The King’s Fund is for anyone working in or interested in health and social care in its broadest sense, regardless of experience or role.

It’s designed to introduce you to some of the foundations of leadership, kindness, and compassion. You’ll explore why these qualities matter now more than ever, and how to develop your personal practice of kind and compassionate leadership.

Understand why kindness and compassion matter

With so many overlapping pressures facing the health and social care system, and the inequities that many groups continue to experience, kindness and compassion can be hard to practice and sustain.

Research shows a compelling link between compassion in leadership and staff wellbeing, team performance, and better outcomes for patients and service users. The need for kindness and compassion in health and care leadership is increasingly being reflected in national policy work across the UK.

Recognise what kind and compassionate leadership looks like

As well as deepening your understanding and knowledge of leadership in health and care, this course will help you develop your own practice of kind and compassionate leadership.

You’ll hear from leaders and experts from across the health and care system and explore some practical ways that you can develop a compassionate mindset and cultivate kindness and compassion in your relationships with others.

Learn from experts in health and social care from The King’s Fund

Established in 1897, The King’s Fund is an independent charitable organisation working to improve health and care in England.

They have a recognised history of leadership and organisational development in the UK’s health and social care sectors, and you’ll be learning from specialists in these fields throughout.

This course is primarily suited to:

• People working in health and social care, regardless of sector, role or seniority.
• Leaders in the NHS, local government, independent and voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
• Learners who are thinking about working within the health and social care system
• Patients, service users and carers who use the health and social care system

This course is primarily suited to:

• People working in health and social care, regardless of sector, role or seniority.
• Leaders in the NHS, local government, independent and voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
• Learners who are thinking about working within the health and social care system
• Patients, service users and carers who use the health and social care system

• Engage with the evidence around why kindness and compassion is important for improving outcomes, staff wellbeing and performance and inclusive organisational cultures
• Reflect on your own leadership behaviours and the behaviours you see around you in the workplace
• Practice simple and every day techniques to model self-compassion and kindness towards others
• Discuss the wider systemic issues that prevent kindness and compassion from being present in health and care
• Explore the different ways in which we define the concepts of leadership, kindness and compassion
• Begin to develop a personal practice of kind and compassionate leadership