Developing and strengthening leadership and organisational effectiveness at NHS Sussex
The challenge
When NHS Sussex became an Integrated Care Board in July 2022, it faced the complex challenge of bringing together different parts of the health system to work as one. It needed to strengthen leadership at all levels while managing significant organisational change and maintaining focus on improving local health outcomes.
Our approach
Over 12 months, our organisational development team delivered a tailored development programme across three leadership levels, using Kaleidoscope’s frameworks and collaborative approach.
Board development
- facilitated focused sessions to strengthen system leadership capability
- developed clear priorities, and co-created decision-making tools and principles
- used our ‘Eight characteristics of effective collaborations’ framework to develop a new board charter.
Executive team development
- built stronger collective working through our High-Performing Teams framework
- co-created a culture map to understand the organisation’s culture and align ways of working accordingly
- used Fisher’s Transition Curve to navigate organisational change.
Senior leadership team development
- strengthened team purpose and identity
- developed clear ways of working
- created clarity around roles and responsibilities between executives and other leaders.
Results
Our work delivered both immediate and strategic benefits for NHS Sussex. The board’s governance became stronger through clearer decision-making processes, while the executive team worked more cohesively with a deeper understanding of each other’s working styles and preferences. We established greater clarity around roles and responsibilities across all leadership levels, and created a clear roadmap for future organisational development.
These improvements have strengthened NHS Sussex’s ability to work as an integrated system, ultimately helping it better serve local communities and reduce health inequalities across Sussex. Through this focused leadership work, the organisation has built stronger foundations for collaborative working and system-wide transformation.
Client testimonial
We commissioned Kaleidoscope Health and Care to support us in a programme of board, executive and senior leadership team development. The Kaleidoscope team were skilled in programme design and delivery, supporting us to really spend time understanding what would improve our team performance. They designed and facilitated sessions which moved us beyond discussion to positive action, improving our leadership capability and capacity as a result. As a partner they were proactive, flexible and responsive and embodied their values of kindness, connectivity and joy in the way they work. I would not hesitate to recommend them to others thinking about commissioning similar leadership development programmes.
Mark Smith, Chief People Officer, NHS Sussex