A Scottish university has launched a new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course aiming to address ‘vital skills gaps’ in the health and social care sector.

The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) says its Cultures and Leadership for Integration course is designed ‘in direct response’ to growing recognition that integrated health and social care systems need both structural and cultural reform.

It will support learners to explore leadership in multi-agency environments, assess their own style of leadership, and build skills to influence culture and collaboration across organisational boundaries.

Delivered online, the six-week course is open to anyone working within health and social care integration in Scotland – from NHS and local authority staff to those in the third sector or community-based roles.

The first cohorts will begin later this year in September and November and fully funded places are available.

A recent independent review led by UWS researchers revealed that, despite structural changes, ‘truly integrated working remains elusive’ in many areas.

The review called for a radical shift in how services are led and delivered, emphasising a need for cultural alignment, collaboration and local leadership.

The new course looks to tackle these issues head-on by supporting health and care staff to lead service renewal on the scale and pace necessary to enable innovation and integration – a key aim in the government’s Service Renewal Framework published earlier in the summer,

Suzanne McQuade, Senior CPD Manager at UWS, said the course leaders hope to equip staff with the tools they need to address the “real-world challenges” they face:

“Health and social care professionals are working in increasingly complex environments, where system change and collaboration are essential but not always easy.

“This course has been specifically designed to help people lead confidently across organisational boundaries.

“We know that cultural alignment and shared values are at the heart of successful integration, but these are not things that happen by accident.

“This course is a practical step towards building the kind of leadership Scotland’s health and care services need now and into the future.”

The course’s launch follows leaders in Scotland’s largest health board apologised to emergency department staff for failing to act on their warnings about patient safety after a review found a “serious breakdown” in relationships.

It also comes just weeks after an NHS workforce survey found doctors in Scotland are increasingly concerned for patient safety yet feel less able to influence change in their workplace.

To find out more about eligibility or funding support for the course, more information is available here.

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