The purpose of this paper is to explore leadership effectiveness, with reference to nurses in the UK National Health Service (NHS).
The paper is literature based. It explores the history and policy background to nurse leadership. It reviews a range of approaches to leadership and applies the theoretical findings to the case study of nurse leaders
The paper suggests there are several inter‐related aspects to consider in relation to developing the effectiveness of nurse leaders – these may be grouped around: developing core competencies; developing emotional intelligence; developing readiness and motivation; developing contextual sensitivity; and developing clinical innovation and change.
The paper discusses the implications of the findings for the leadership development of nurses and makes recommendations.
The paper attempts to incorporate the insights from a variety of different approaches to leadership and apply them to nurse leaders in the UK NHS.
