New Hospital Programme boosts efficiency as new leaders graduate
Nearly 50 project leaders graduated this week from Cranfield School of Management - thanks to the support of New Hospital Programme.
- New Hospital Programme continues to support people to enhance their project management skills and boost efficiency of programme
- Government remains committed to building 40 new hospitals by 2030 which is now expected to be backed by over £20 billion investment in new hospital infrastructure
The government’s New Hospital Programme commitment to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030 has been bolstered as nearly 50 senior leaders from the programme team and hospital trusts in England formally graduated from a prestigious Project Leadership Programme (PLP) at a ceremony at Cranfield today (21 June 2023).
The senior leaders working directly on the New Hospital Programme have been studying for the last 12 months to enhance their skills and expertise to ensure patients benefit from new state of the art facilities as quickly as possible through a new national approach to building new hospitals, using modern methods of construction so schemes are built on time, with value for money.
The Project Leadership Programme is designed to equip project managers and leaders with the essential skills and competencies required for successful project delivery. This education programme covers a wide range of topics crucial to project management across various industries, such as ensuring participants have the knowledge and tools to establish project governance structures, monitor project performance, and implement successful change management strategies within project environments.
This comes after the government recently announced its commitment to rebuild and prioritise 5 major hospitals in urgent need of repair by 2030, as part of the New Hospital Programme, as well as confirming for the first time that a record investment of over £20 billion is expected to be spent on new hospital infrastructure.
Health Minister, Lord Markham, said:
Congratulations to all those graduating from Cranfield School of Management who now have even more skills and expertise to deliver on our commitment to build 40 hospitals by 2030, which is expected to be backed by more than £20 billion of new investment in hospital infrastructure.
In the long term, our new standardised design means we can rapidly replicate new hospitals across the country, helping speed up construction and improving services for patients as we continue to work to cut waiting lists.
Senior Responsible Owner of New Hospital Programme, Natalie Forrest, said:
Congratulations to all who have passed this course. I am delighted that we were able to support so many project directors across England working on New Hospital Programme and trust schemes. This is a challenging course and has involved much hard work and dedication on behalf of all the graduates.
One of the New Hospital Programme’s key objectives is to build the foundations for an enduring national capability for enhanced healthcare infrastructure delivery, developing leaders in this field is a step towards achieving this. Well done, everyone!
Cranfield School of Management focuses on developing key areas of expertise, including project planning, risk management, stakeholder engagement, change management and project leadership. Participants also gain insights into effective project strategies aligned with organisational goals and learn techniques for resource allocation, scheduling and project control. In addition, participants explore the dynamics of team leadership and learn how to motivate and inspire project teams towards achieving project objectives.
Two hospitals in the New Hospital Programme are already complete and 5 in construction. By the end of next year more than 20 will be underway or complete. By developing a national approach to delivering new hospitals - called Hospital 2.0 - they can be built more quickly and at a reduced cost, providing value for taxpayers. Patients and staff will benefit from modern hospital design making use of the latest technology, digital innovation and sustainability to improve overall patient experience and provide a better working environment for staff.
Head of Scheme Engagement, New Hospital Programme, Geoff Lowry, said:
I believe that I am in a better place at work having been on the Project Leadership Programme. I have more clarity about the issues I want to progress and that these are at an appropriate level for a project leadership role.
I feel my work life is now better balanced in understanding what I bring to the programme along with learning skills to be more organisationally intelligent. I can continue to develop, particularly in how I manage upwards and outwards to secure and retain credibility and confidence.
Project Director at West Suffolk Foundation Trust, Gary Norgate, said:
I half expected the Project Leadership Programme to be a technical refresher on how to calculate critical paths and resource loadings, I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find the emphasis placed upon the human side of leadership and mindfulness.
Having established, honed and reflected upon the emergent improvement strategies, I recently re-ran a comprehensive 360 degree feedback exercise and was delighted to receive clear evidence of change, and change for the better.
Reconfiguration Programme Director, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Nicky Topham, said:
The Project Leadership Programme has given me the theoretical structure to develop my leadership skills, and a great opportunity to challenge the traditional premise of project management, thereby enhancing the likelihood of successful programme delivery.
The combination of lectures, workshops, e-learns, networking and coaching has stimulated me to think differently about my leadership role in the successful delivery of the UHL Reconfiguration Programme.
Background information
In 2015 the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) selected Cranfield University School of Management, PA Consulting Group and an SME called The Project Academy (TPA) as a consortium to deliver the PLP as a continuation of the long-term vision to develop project leadership skills across the public sector and create a new cadre of elite project leaders. The IPA is concerned with delivery of all major government projects and UK infrastructure, which includes economic and social infrastructure, housing, ICT and organisational change. The consortium has been delivering the programme in partnership with the IPA since 2015 with excellent feedback being received from participants and departments.