Professor Michael West CBE announced as Patron of the RCN Foundation
We’re delighted to share that Professor Michael West CBE has become a Patron of the RCN Foundation. He joins author and former paediatric nurse, Christie Watson, who became a Patron in 2018.
A Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University as well as a Visiting Professor at University College, Dublin, and Emeritus Professor at Aston University, Michael is renowned for his work and advocacy for compassionate leadership within the workplace.
Compassionate Leadership
In 2020, the RCN Foundation commissioned The Courage and Compassion report (The King’s Fund, 2020), a review which was led by Michael in response to growing concern about workforce wellbeing, moral distress and the sustainability of care. The report highlighted that compassion is not failing because people care less, but as a result of systems often making it harder to care well – for patients, for colleagues and for ourselves.
Findings from this report, alongside sustained pressure across health and social care, have led to the establishment of the RCN Foundation Centre for Compassionate Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery, which aims to embed compassionate leadership at the core of healthcare.
Other work
Michael has assisted the development of the national frameworks on improvement and leadership development in England in Northern Ireland and is currently supporting Health Education and Improvement Wales to develop the national health and care leadership strategy in Wales. His research has had a transformative impact on how teams’ function effectively and how leaders can nurture compassionate, high performing environments. He has authored, edited and co-edited 20 books and has published more than 200 articles on teamwork, leadership and culture, particularly in healthcare.
Deepa Korea MBE, Director of the RCN Foundation said: “We are delighted to welcome Professor Michael West CBE as a Patron of the Foundation. Compassionate leadership is the essence of nursing and midwifery, and our commitment to this is exemplified through the creation of the RCN Foundation Centre for Compassionate Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery, in which Michael’s extensive experience and expertise will be a huge asset. A trailblazer, pioneer and advocate for compassionate leadership, we are incredibly honoured to have Michael’s support and guidance as we continue to shape and strengthen our work in this area.”
Professor Dame Jane Cummings DBE, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said: “During my time as Chief Nursing Officer for England, I developed and published the 6Cs of Nursing, a set of core values to ensure compassionate, person-centred care is central to nursing and midwifery. This is work I remain extremely proud of and having Professor Michael West CBE joined the Foundation as Patron exemplifies the importance of ensuring compassionate leadership is implemented across healthcare. Together with the Trustees and team at the Foundation, I look forward to working with Michael in championing these values.”
Professor Michael West CBE, RCN Foundation Patron, said: “Joining the RCN Foundation as a Patron is an incredible honour. The RCN Foundation Centre for Compassionate Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery is an important moment in the history of our health service. Compassionate leadership is a core value of those that work in nursing and midwifery, and we’re continuing to discover how fundamentally important it is to patients and to healthcare outcomes. Focusing on how we create the right kind of environment for the hundreds of thousands of nurses and midwives who work across healthcare systems in the UK is critical to our ability to deliver high-quality care. I look forward to working alongside the Foundation to help influence change and ensure leaders model the compassion that is at the heart of healthcare.”