FMLM is committed to promoting, disseminating and contributing to healthcare leadership research so that the best available evidence can be used in the pursuit of improving care for patients.
Our journal, BMJ Leader, is co-owned with the British Medical Journal and can be freely accessed by all members of FMLM.
FMLM is a member of the Health Services Research UK network.
Leadership and leadership development in health care: the evidence base
The key challenge facing all NHS organisations is to nurture cultures that ensure the delivery of continuously improving high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare. Leadership is the most influential factor in shaping organisational culture and so ensuring the necessary leadership behaviours, strategies and qualities are developed is fundamental. What do we really know about leadership of health services?
The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM), The King’s Fund and the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) share a commitment to evidence-based approaches to developing leadership and, in 2015, collectively initiated a review of the evidence by a team including clinicians, managers, psychologists, practitioners and project managers. This document summarises the evidence emerging from that review.
Download Leadership and Leadership Development in Health Care: The Evidence Base
Research strategy
FMLM’s vision is to inspire and promote excellence in medical leadership to drive continuous improvement in health and healthcare in the UK. High quality evidence and research play a key role in the drive to achieve this.
The FMLM research strategy is a commitment to the importance of research and research evidence in pursuit of the FMLM primary objective of improving care for patients through good medical leadership. Research evidence is an essential prerequisite to gaining maximum benefit for patients from medical leadership and to ensure appropriate disbursement of taxpayers’ money in relation to leadership development.
The FMLM research strategy was developed following consultation with leading academics in 2020.
The strategy proposes a leadership and advocacy role for FMLM in strengthening the role of research and research evidence in healthcare leadership. It also provides guidance for FMLM activities including organisational and leadership development programmes.
The research strategy includes five objectives to guide the FMLM research agenda over three years:
1. Establish academic partnerships
2. Engage FMLM members and fellows in the research agenda
3. Influence the national research agenda
4. Influence research funders
5. Promote and disseminate research evidence.
Research is clearly a collaborative process and the responsibility of multiple stakeholders. This strategy argues that FMLM has a central role in building collaborations and networks as well as identifying the research questions relevant to the UK and internationally.
Finally, the strategy identifies a range of indicators to monitor progress and provide quality assurance.
Research opportunities
FMLM undertakes research projects in collaboration with academics and practitioners with an interest in healthcare leadership. Examples of current projects are provided below.
FMLM also seeks to support colleagues undertaking healthcare leadership research by facilitating connections between researchers and signposting to opportunities. Below are some of the latest opportunities.
PhD Studentship: System Integration through Network Governance in NHS Place-based Partnerships (SYNC)
This project aims to understand the challenges, opportunities and evolution of these reforms by focusing on evolution of Place-based Partnerships (PbP), within one ICS. This opportunity is through The School for Business and Society at the University of York. For further information visit: https://www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/funding/uk/system-integration-through-network-governance/
PhD Studentship: Collaboration in a Cold Climate: Integrated Care Systems in England’s Health and Care Sector
This fully-funded studentship will investigate the challenges of collaborating in today’s health and social care sector. A collaboration between King's College London and South East London Integrated Care System (SEL ICS), it will offer a student the opportunity to explore some of the most pressing challenges facing contemporary public sectors. For further information visit: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DGV596/phd-studentship-collaboration-in-a-cold-climate-integrated-care-systems-in-englands-health-and-care-sector
Experiences and outcomes of distributed leadership in health and care: identifying benefits, limitations and priorities for leadership development
The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management is supporting research led by the University of Strathclyde on distributed leadership.
Individuals and organisations across the UK are invited to take part in this research. This research will be of particular interest to healthcare leaders (at all levels) and their teams.
Distributed leadership has the potential to contribute to improved staff experience, more effective and integrated care, and positive patient outcomes. This research seeks to work with health and care leaders, managers, and teams to gain a better understanding of how and where distributed leadership can make a difference, its potential as a focus for leadership development, and ‘what is needed’ to promote effective distributed leadership. Further information about the research is available here.
The researchers can provide a short clip or webinar to share within the your organisation, as well as example emails to send to multi-professional teams responsible for leadership and delivery of clinical services.
All participants will have access to the research findings and will be invited to a webinar to reflect on the implications of the findings.
Journals, reviews and articles
A selection of the latest leadership research articles.
Jones, L. Role of medical leaders in integrated care systems: what can be learnt from previous research?
12 September 2022. https://bmjleader.bmj.com/content/early/2022/09/11/leader-2022-000655.info
Kirkpatrick, I. Unfinished business: The development of medical management roles in the UK NHS. 29 January 2021. https://www.fmlm.ac.uk/news-opinion/unfinished-business-the-development-of-medical-management-roles-in-the-uk-nhs.
Peveler, R. Does the separation of research and care hold back healthcare improvement? 22 January 2021. https://www.fmlm.ac.uk/news-opinion/does-the-separation-of-research-and-care-hold-back-healthcare-improvement