Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust

Challenge
The Chairman and Chief Executive of the hospital asked Artesian to improve the effectiveness of the hospital board as it looked to become a Foundation Trust.

Programme
A series of preliminary interviews with each of the board members helped us to identify the areas where changes were required. Working with a small steering group, we designed a series of workshops for the executive and non-executive directors and the rest of the board to address the themes raised. Some of these were very practical issues – for example the vision and purpose of the board and the style of meetings – and some were much more sensitive, for example concerning styles and behaviours.

The design allowed Artesian to facilitate discussions around the more sensitive behavioural issues in a positive and creative way, so that solutions could be agreed together. We also worked with each of the board members through 1:1 coaching sessions to support them in the individual changes they needed to make.

Results
At the end of this programme, board members reported ‘significant’ progress. There was an increase in mutual commitment, an awareness of how best to support each other, and an increase in trust between board members. The programme created a forum for a more open dialogue about how the board worked, which helped to deepen relationships, and allowed people to have difficult conversations that they had been avoiding.

This board then faced some very difficult decisions, which they were able to make courageously together in the best interests of the organisation. Winchester and Eastleigh did not become a Foundation Trust, but merged with another NHS Trust, and the board was dissolved.