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'High Performing Compassionate Team' training for Nursing and Perinatal workforce

Our Nursing Workforce Transformation Team have designed a two-hour workshop titled “Your high performing Compassionate Team”. It is a train the trainer approach to strategically support embedding compassionate leadership across our nursing and perinatal teams. The team are currently engaging with all health boards across NHS Wales to plan our implementation strategy for the workshop, across the Nursing and Perinatal workforce.

This ‘train the trainer’ approach for compassionate leadership and compassionate people practices ensures wider reach and lasting impact, equipping nursing and perinatal professionals with tools to cultivate compassionate, high-performing teams that improve patient care.

Compassionate leadership focuses on listening with intent, understanding, empathising with and supporting other people to ensure the workforce feel valued respected and cared for, so they can reach their potential and do their best work. There is clear evidence that teams that imbed compassionate leadership are ones that are more engaged and motivated, providing high-quality care for patients with a sustainable workforce.

 
What is a high performing compassionate team?

"A group of brilliantly different humans who trust one another, communicate like pro’s (or at least try to), lean into difficulty, consistently get things done, laughing along the way."

 
Our sessions

Travel: We will travel to your health board to deliver the training face to face with your nominated trainers 

Bespoke: The sessions are adaptable to care setting and cohort.

Resource: We have developed a Padlet that contains all resources that you require to deliver

Support: ongoing personal support for all trainers 

Networking: We are developing a community of practice on Gwella that houses information and shared practice.
 

The workshop includes:
  • Establishing your team - clarify who your primary team is and where your key connections lie.
  • Create a shared team vision - explore your current team dynamics and collaboratively shape shared goals
  • Understanding value in each team member - recognising differences and strengths in team members
  • Positive contacts - understand how small, consistent actions can strengthen team culture and relationships
  • Constructive controversy - managing challenges and tensions within teams

HEIWs Workforce Transformation team are offering you a 2 hour face to face, train the trainer workshop focussed on building high performing compassionate teams.

 
Benefits

1. Enhanced Staff Wellbeing and Resilience

  • Reduces burnout by addressing emotional fatigue and stress common in nursing roles.
  • Promotes self-awareness and emotional intelligence, key to managing high-pressure healthcare environments.
  • Encourages healthy coping strategies through reflective and interactive activities.

🔹 2. Improved Team Cohesion and Communication

  • Activity-based formats supports collaboration and trust among colleagues.
  • Builds mutual respect and psychological safety, essential for open communication and effective teamwork.
  • Encourages cross-band and multidisciplinary interaction, which is important in NHS settings.

🔹 3. Strengthened Leadership Capabilities

  • Helps nurses at all levels (Band 5 and above especially) and multi professional perinatal staff develop core leadership skills like empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution.
  • Encourages shared leadership, empowering staff to take initiative and lead with compassion.
  • Supports the NHS Wales values of working together, caring for each other, and always improving.

🔹 4. Better Patient Care Outcomes

  • Compassionate leadership trickles down to more empathetic and person-centred care.
  • Staff who feel valued and understood are more likely to provide high-quality, dignified care.

🔹 5. Alignment with NHS Wales Priorities

  • Supports the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 by promoting a healthier, more resilient workforce.
  • Reflects goals in "A Healthier Wales" strategy, including workforce sustainability and culture change.
  • Aligns with NHS Wales’ emphasis on compassionate and prudent healthcare.

🔹 6. Practical Application and Long-Term Impact

  • Activity-based learning ensures hands-on engagement, improving retention of leadership principles.
  • Interactive models allow for scenario-based learning, mirroring real-life challenges faced in clinical settings.
  • Encourages action planning and accountability, turning insights into workplace change.

 

To organise a 2 hour face to face, train the trainer workshop, focussed on building high performing compassionate teams at your health board please contact: heiw.nursingworkforceplan@wales.nhs.uk  or heiw.perinatalworkforceplan@wales.nhs.uk