title: Leadership in the NHS: does the Emperor have any clothes?
abstract: In this essay, I explore the rise of the concept of 'leadership' in the English NHS, highlighting the similarity with a previous shift from (bad, old) 'administration' to (good, new) 'management'. I take a critical look at this discursive shift and highlight some of the overblown claims made for the value of 'clinical leadership'. I argue that, rather than turning all NHS staff into leaders, we should perhaps tone down the level of our rhetoric and instead emphasize the need for a service full of good followers who will maintain a relentless focus on care, quality and efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Reader in Health Policy and Primary Care, Centre for Primary Care, Institute of Population Health, University of Manchester, UK k.checkland@btinternet.com.
authors.forename: Kath
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Checkland
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: NHS; leadership; management