Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust

This programme is a pioneering project in Medical Leadership Development between Lancashire Care Foundation Trust (LCFT) and Lancaster University’s Centre of Excellence in Work-Based Learning, CETAD.In recognising the importance of developing all staff to meet the future needs of the organisation and its patient community, Lancashire Care Foundation Trust has identified the need to develop medical leadership in line with Trust values, and with the priority of delivering service transformation.Key to meeting the Trust’s strategic agenda is the enhancement of doctors’ ability to lead and mana

Lancashire Care employed  almost 3800 staff prior to April 2011 when a further 4000 community staff transferred into the Trust. With 110 sites across Lancashire storage and access to the HR files was a continual problem. The creation of electronic records in 2010 which can be accessed from any location has now solved these problems and makes significant progress towards a greener, and paperless HR office.

This case study describes an innovative approach taken by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to staff wellbeing. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) helps staff to feel calmer and better able to cope in stressful circumstances, with the potential to improve productivity and enhance the quality of patient care.

Lancashire Care Foundation Trust has adopted the innovative practice of agile working, to help its workforce become more flexible, so that people can work from various locations.This has included redesigning the office layout to make it more light and airy, aiming to become a paperless office, and putting in place the necessary  tools for flexible working. This has led to increased effectiveness, reduced costs, better use of technology and better quality of life for staff.

In September 2010, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust (LCFT) commissioned an innovative Appreciative Leadership programme to underpin an organisation-wide culture change programme. Fiona MacNeill Associates (FMA), an independent people development consultancy, was appointed to deliver the programme and the Trust ran a very successful pilot programme involving 50 delegates, from a range of different services, clinical and non-clinical roles and pay bands, prior to rolling out the programme across the Trust. 

Looking After Me Looking After You (LAMLAY) was a pilot study launched by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust in 2012 to explore whether using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (CBT) and Imagery work could improve staff health and wellbeing.In developing the Trust’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy, it was determined that there was a need for a bespoke intervention to improve the mental wellbeing of staff and to reduce stress, which had been identified as a common cause of absence. Thus the Trust’s health and well-being strategy was the main driver in developing this work.