Training and education in healthcare leadership: Is it time for a NHS healthcare academy?

In his report into Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Robert Francis QC suggested the need for a physical NHS 'staff college' to support the strengthening of clinical leadership in the NHS. We present qualitative research data from a series of semistructured interviews with senior healthcare leaders in the UK that highlights their thoughts on the state of both clinician's managerial and leadership knowledge and training in the UK and the opportunities and challenges that a 'staff college' model would present using the UK Armed Forces Defence Academy as an existing public sector model. While progress has been made towards strengthening leadership and management training for NHS staff since this research was performed, this research suggests the need for a more inclusive, corporate, multi-disciplinary approach to delivery, pooling the existing expertise and ensuring a whole workforce approach to the corporate NHS agenda.