RCGP Leadership Capabilities Framework

1. Developing self-awareness 

• Understands and applies own learning style 

• Flexes and adapts own leadership style to situations, concepts, people and problems 

• Understands how to work effectively in a team 

• Develops a wider teamworking skill set 

• Develops ways to have a positive impact on others 

2. Continuing professional development 

• Understands how to identify own learning needs, including through reflection and engagement in appraisal discussion 

• Develops own learning and team role styles 

• Responds positively to feedback 

• Positively contributes to local teaching and training for colleagues and peers 

• Creates environment of continuous learning and improvement 

3. Acting with integrity 

• Understands own values and professional values 

• Develops clear understanding of person-centred care 

• Promotes and involves others to develop and grow 

• Promotes and advocates for equality, diversity, equity and inclusion for colleagues, staff and patients 

• Leads with values and demonstrates duty of candour and authenticity 

• Advocates for patients in system wide decision-making 

1. Developing Networks 

• Participates in multidisciplinary team learning and decision making 

• Develops practice and peer networks which are relevant to current practice 

• Understands needs and assets of the practice population 

• Develops and shares resources for a population or group 

• Attracts and develops local colleagues 

• Harnesses expertise from all parts of the system 

• Understands population needs and health inequalities 

• Understands how all parts of the health and care system interact 

2. Building and maintaining relationships 

• Participates in learning groups  

• Understands population health needs  

• Brings colleagues, patients and all groups together 

• Listens to the views of others 

• Develops a collaborative leadership approach 

3. Encouraging contribution 

• Supports peers locally via local education and training networks 

• Works collaboratively with local providers and local networks 

• Actively builds local talent 

• Meaningfully engages expertise and resources 

• Challenges, identifies and develops the next generation of leaders 

• Actively seeks alternative views 

1. Planning Services 

• Looks at pathways in locality and undertakes a small-scale change management project or Quality Improvement activity (QI) 

• Develops and reviews policies and procedures 

• Works to understand and gather feedback from patients and local groups 

• Uses population health data to develop or change a service to meet local needs 

• Engages and influences system wide service planning meetings across integrated care systems and health boards 

• Adopts an advocate role for person centred care and primary medical care 

2. Managing resources 

• Identifies the resources needed for individual patient care 

• Understands the importance of delivering services within a budget 

• Evaluates the service from a variety of perspectives 

• Is able to understand budgets in different forms - practice budgets, commissioned services and commissioning budgets 

• Informs service change through input of clinical perspective 

• Provides clinical review ensuring safe and effective care whilst working in financial constraints 

• Develops clinical colleagues’ awareness of working within a defined budget 

3. Managing people 

• Takes guidance and support from others 

• Provides support for all in the practice team 
  Supports others to develop their roles and careers 

• Develops and trains in line with the needs of the population 

• Facilitates others to promote, develop and enhance care across networks and populations 

• Leads workforce development 

• Understands own role in managing conduct and capability 

4. Managing performance 

• Understands and interprets personal and practice level performance data 

• Analyses and interprets available patient data 

• Evaluates the service from a variety of perspectives 

• Addresses performance in organisations and in locality/place 

• Brings patient stories into performance management 

• Identifies and articulates difficult systemic issues, challenging where necessary 

1. Ensuring patient safety 

• Recognises, and demonstrates techniques to manage, personal limits 

• Identifies and manages safety incidents 

• Creates a psychologically safe culture leading to collaboration, positive learning experiences and effective patient care 

• Interprets data and develops quality markers that ensure patient safety 

• Uses the available evidence to support up-to-date processes 

• Challenges practice when new evidence supports 

• Monitors and evaluates the effects of change 

2. Critically evaluating services 

• Understands that feedback from staff, patients and the voluntary sector is crucial to evaluation 

• Develops ways to gather views 

• Uses local data from a variety of local and national sources 

• Uses evidence bases to inform changes to patient care 

• Brings together local voices to improve care across a locality or network 
  Interprets information carefully and sensitively to create solutions 

3. Continuous improvement and innovation 

• Understands that changes can always be made to improve care 

• Understands that there are many sources of data, both in-house and nationally collected public data, that can help and encourage changes 

• Understands that innovation and change may be met with resistance in parts of primary care and is competent at managing change 

• Has an open and critical mind about improvements to patient care 
  Identifies recurring themes from clinical case discussions, discussions with colleagues, in practice learning events and incidents 

• Identifies opportunities for improvement with patients and colleagues, using evidence-based data driven approaches 

• Effectively uses data to monitor trends and improvements 

• Agrees, facilitates, encourages and explores with other practices ways to improve care 

• Works with all stakeholders to improve care to make it meaningful for patients 

• Encourages and supports others to take projects and innovations forward 

1. Facilitating transformation 

• Leads and inspires through compassionate leadership 

• Encourages contribution and supports others to take a lead on projects and service development 

• Knows how to collect data safely across practices 

• Facilitates projects across locality, network and neighbourhood 

• Encourages cross-collaboration 

• Demonstrates effectiveness at communicating next steps 

• Creates and encourages opportunities for others 

• Develops strategies in collaboration with the right teams 

2. Identifying the contexts for change 

• Demonstrates an understanding of the healthcare system and the impact of the doctor’s role on patients and their families 

• Recognises and utilises the clinical governance requirements of the organisation 

• Understands the environment, conditions, and factors that influence whether change is needed and how it can be successfully implemented 

• Recognises organisational readiness for change as a critical precursor for the successful implementation of change management, organisational development, and healthcare improvement 

• Seeks opportunities to learn about the health and care policy environment 

• Responds to policy and direction 

3. Applying knowledge and evidence 

• Uses appropriate sources of information, including patients, to support learning 

• Uses and interprets performance data and information to debate services within multidisciplinary team meetings 

• Uses audit outcomes to challenge current practice and develop consistent, reliable care 

• Critically analyses information and data 

• Delegates responsibility to colleagues to act as service leads and supports them to innovate 

• Critically analyses information and data 

• Uses external references, such as IT-based resources, to support analysis 
  Investigates an identified problem in small group work 

• Presents information to all colleagues, including administrators, managers, clinicians, local health and care bodies 

• Applies principles and practices of evidence-based medicine 

• Communicates effectively with communities, teams or networks 

• Communicates about patient care improvements 

• Delegates responsibility to colleagues to act as service leads and supports them to innovate 

4. Making decisions 

• Understands how decisions have taken account of changes in evidence and policy 

• Understands and creates clinical committee structures within the organisation and in localities 

• Determines priorities for a service, incorporating them into departmental and trust business plans 

• Advises management colleagues, providing a clinical perspective on service developments and the implications for patients and care delivery 

• Inputs in a timely and patient-centred way to decision-making