Achieving 100% completion, 100% satisfaction, and a measurable shift in management behaviour across all NLPSS line managers
| Outcomes at a glance |
|---|
| • Managers reported significantly increased confidence across five areas: having difficult conversations, giving and receiving feedback, managing performance concerns early, supporting staff wellbeing, and understanding their responsibilities as line managers |
| • 100% of managers rated the programme as effective, relevant, and said they would recommend it to others |
| • Positive increase in appropriate escalations observed over a 12-month period, reflecting greater confidence in addressing poor performance and behaviours, a measurable behavioural shift |
The challenge
Nationally, 82% of managers who enter a management role have had no formal management or leadership training, creating a high proportion of ‘accidental managers’ and inconsistent people practices. Poor line management is strongly linked to low morale, avoidable turnover, and underperformance. Yet line management remains a critical driver of staff experience, retention, and organisational performance.
NLPSS commissioned TPHC to address this gap by equipping all line managers across the organisation with the core skills, behaviours, and confidence required to lead compassionate, inclusive, high-performing teams. The programme was shaped by national workforce priorities, including the NHS Leadership Way, NHS People Promise, and NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, alongside insights from staff with lived experience of inclusion, exclusion, bias, neurodiversity, and health needs.
Our approach
TPHC developed the Empowered Leadership programme, a four-day CPD-accredited development initiative delivered over 14 months to all NLPSS line managers. The programme combined face-to-face small-group sessions with experiential learning, including role plays, fishbowl demonstrations, and scenario-based practice. Bite-sized learning videos on key policies and a dedicated online platform with resources and guidance supported learning between sessions.
The design emphasised real-world application, reflective practice, and building confidence through supported experimentation. Policy and employment relations casework was embedded throughout to ensure scenarios reflected the complexity of leading people in NHS settings. This grounding in lived experience and practical reality, rather than abstract management theory, was central to how the programme was built and why it landed well with participants.
The impact
All NLPSS line managers completed the programme over a 14-month period. 100% rated it as effective, relevant, and said they would recommend it to others. Managers reported significantly increased confidence in having difficult conversations, giving and receiving feedback, managing performance concerns early, supporting staff wellbeing, and understanding their responsibilities as line managers.
Over a 12-month period, NLPSS observed a positive increase in appropriate escalations, reflecting greater confidence in addressing poor performance and behaviours rather than avoiding or delaying action. NLPSS now has a cohort of managers who lead with greater clarity, compassion, and confidence, use a shared language and consistent approach to people management, intervene earlier, and contribute to a more accountable, inclusive, and high-performing culture.
The programme demonstrates that experiential learning is highly effective for adult learners, that peer learning is a major strength, and that creating space for lived experience and reflective discussion deepens understanding and empathy. NLPSS is now exploring action learning sets to sustain learning and developing communities of practice for line managers.
What our clients say
“No words can quite describe the special learning journey that you are taken on over a four-week period. The most inspiring and empowering course you could attend. The facilitators ooze passion for the course they lead, and this automatically encourages you to want to do better each and every day. The course challenges you in ways you do not think possible and is thought-provoking in so many ways. It offers a safe space to share personal experiences and hear those of others. It enables you to understand the significant responsibility being a line manager holds and equips you with the necessary knowledge to support you in your role. The learning styles offered throughout are varied and broad and therefore meet the needs of every individual. The dedication and commitment given to developing this course to ensure that we become better leaders is incredible. It would be extremely hard to find another course quite as unique and special as the Empowered Leadership programme.”
NLPSS programme participant
Ready to start a conversation? The Empowered Leadership programme is available to NHS organisations and teams. Find out more about our learning and organisational development services, or get in touch to discuss bringing this programme to your organisation.
Next steps
Working with us
Our approach to working with clients, and what you can expect from a relationship with TPHC.
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Get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements and how we can support you to achieve your goals.
