Developing leadership in the UK's ambulance service: a review of the consultant paramedic role
Abstract
Background:
This study seeks to understand part of the emerging clinical leadership framework implemented in the UK's NHS ambulance services in recent years. The aim is to explore the relatively new role of consultant paramedics and understand their leadership activities in relationship to nationally determined requirements, and the challenges they face performing this crucial leadership role.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all consultant paramedics in the UK in 2013. Thematic analysis and coding were used to analyse the data and identify emergent themes. Additionally, basic demographic data was collected for comparison against national requirements.
Findings:
The findings illustrated three key themes: credible clinical leadership, an emerging empowered profession, and role expectations. There is a clear indication that consultant paramedics are a key part of clinical leadership for the paramedic profession. However, they are challenged to remain clinically competent by undertaking regular clinical practice and providing visible leadership on the ground, while strategically taking the profession forward. Operational resistance and power issues were highlighted as some of the problems faced by these clinical leaders.
Implications:
The findings may prove useful for employers in reviewing their clinical leadership structures, and in workforce planning for future consultant paramedics. The paramedic profession and its professional body may equally find this study useful for informing future strategic planning.
In recent years there has been a growing emphasis in developing UK NHS ambulance services’ capabilities in clinical leadership. Several national publications have argued that if the quality of these services are to continuously improve, new leadership frameworks and competencies are required (Department of Health (DH), 2005; NHS Ambulance Chief Executive Group, 2009).
These suggested leadership frameworks encompass a clinically focused career structure for the paramedic profession, enabling the concept of leadership to transcend all levels. The resulting career structure is aligned with the national NHS agenda for change pay awards, where band 5 paramedics can progress through senior clinical roles to the band 8 consultant paramedic (NHS Ambulance Chief Executive Group, 2009).
Yet this concept of a career structure is not new, with an almost identical pathway having been developed within the nursing and allied health professions over the past few decades. Initially, the nurse consultant role was introduced in 2000 as a means of ensuring clinical quality and leadership for front-line clinical teams in healthcare.
Subscribe to get full access to the Journal of Paramedic Practice
Thank you for visiting the Journal of Paramedic Practice and reading our archive of expert clinical content. If you would like to read more from the only journal dedicated to those working in emergency care, you can start your subscription today for just £48.
What's included
-
CPD Focus
-
Develop your career
-
Stay informed