Coaching Foundations
Developing coaching skills is worthwhile for everyone - Read this blog by Gemma Barnacle, Business Development Manager at Health Innovation North West Coast who shares her experience of working to compete the Coaching Foundations programme.
Improving quality through coaching
The Coaching Academy strengthened its relationship with the Health Foundation’s Q Community in the North West by offering a customised Coaching Foundations training programme that focused on quality improvement (QI). There is no shortage of QI tools and techniques, however the challenge is getting teams, which may be under significant pressure, to adopt these tools and techniques permanently.
(Left to right) Jo Knight, Quality Service Improvement Facilitator, Liz McDougall, Associate Director of Engagement and Improvement, and Sharon Tyrell, Quality Improvement Facilitator from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, describe their experience on the programme:
Why did you join? We wanted the opportunity to work with some likeminded professionals to improve our coaching for QI capacity.
What is valuable about the programme? Being able to have conversations with the other participants to share experiences and to practice in a psychologically-safe environment.
Any lightbulb moments? That coaching for QI is not only a valuable tool, but also of great benefit to individuals who are the coachees.
What do you hope to take back to your team? We will continue to strengthen the use of coaching questions in many elements of our work to improve the facilitated use of QI tools and reflection regarding improvements/changes. We are integrating coaching skills into our one-to-one support offer for individuals working on QI projects, and as our offer alongside virtual QI training (QSIR V).
Coaching Practitioner
Arming mental health professionals with coaching skills to support their teams
To embed and grow a coaching culture in mental health services, an assistant clinical director from North West Boroughs Healthcare (now Mersey Care) approached the Coaching Academy in 2021 to offer Coaching Practitioner training and qualifications to a group of 20 service managers.
Liam Stowell, a manager of a children’s mental health crisis service, has felt the coach training is increasingly helping him guide people to decisions instead of telling them what to do. His lightbulb moment during the programme was when he realised how similar coaching conversations were to assessing patients. It made him question why his approach to colleagues would be so different.
Liam says, “It’s all about having meaningful conversations with everyone – your team and patients. It gives a good framework and foundation for the rest of your career.”
The Coaching Academy’s Coaching Practitioner training is one-year long to allow participants the flexibility to complete the requirements around their work and personal life. They receive European Mentoring and Coaching Council accreditation upon completion.
