This stage focuses on mid-level leaders responsible for leading multiple teams through others. It equips them to drive operational excellence and high-quality people management, strengthening leadership capability below them. Leaders develop the skills to align performance, improve outcomes, and create consistently effective, engaged, and well-led teams across services.
Examples of roles sitting in this area include;
Service Line / Operational Manager – You lead through multiple teams and layers of leadership, setting clear direction and expectations for operational and people performance across a service. You work across services and with partners to improve flow, performance and experience, while building leadership capability, driving improvement and sustaining high-performing, well-led team.
HR manager – You manage a specialist HR team to make sure that HR issues are fully considered and managed before, during and after they arise and that they are compliant with employment law. You work condensed hours and find it a struggle to access learning and development due to your busy schedule.
Specialist healthcare scientist – You provide diagnostic support to cardiology and respiratory inpatient and outpatient services. You are responsible for diagnostic services within the team and help train other scientists. You are keen to take the next step in your career.
Lead psychological wellbeing practitioner – You provide clinical leadership and nurture the professional growth of your team. You and your team improve access to mental health support by providing low intensity clinical interventions to patients. You are looking to the framework to help support your teams wellbeing amidst increasing workloads.
Community team lead (e.g., Lead District Nurse) – You lead a small community nursing team, coordinating daily caseloads and responding to changing risk and acuity in patients’ homes. You support and supervise staff, manage performance and wellbeing, and work closely with GPs, social care, therapy services and carers to deliver safe, joined-up care. You want to strengthen your skills in prioritisation, difficult conversations, managing incidents and influencing across system partners.
Matron – You lead a ward or clinical area, setting clear standards and role‑modelling compassionate, inclusive leadership. You support and supervise ward sisters/charge nurses and the wider multidisciplinary team, manage staffing and patient flow, and respond to incidents, complaints and quality concerns. You work across departments to improve patient experience and deliver priorities such as safety, productivity and staff wellbeing, while developing others and sustaining high performance under pressure.
Leadership development I should consider at this level = WeLead Team Excellence and WeLead Senior Leaders
The WeLead Team Excellence Programme is Oxleas’ team of leaders development offer, focused on strengthening how teams work together to deliver high-quality care, services and outcomes.
The programme is designed to support intact teams who work interdependently and want to improve their effectiveness, relationships and impact. It focuses on the lived experience of teams, helping them to build stronger ways of working, improve communication, and create inclusive, high-performing team cultures.
WeLead Team Excellence is aligned to Our Leadership Way and the NHS Management and Leadership Framework, recognising that leadership is a shared responsibility within teams. It combines practical tools, facilitated reflection and real-world application to support teams to strengthen trust, clarity and performance in the context of their day-to-day work.
The programme is designed for intact teams and service-based groups working together to deliver care, who:
WeLead Team Excellence is open to multidisciplinary teams across clinical and non-clinical services, recognising that high-quality care depends on effective, cohesive teams at every level of the organisation.
The programme is inclusive and context-driven, supporting teams to develop a shared understanding of their strengths, challenges and ways of working, aligned to Oxleas’ values and priorities.
The WeLead Team Excellence programme focuses on improving team effectiveness, culture and performance through practical, team-based development. Key areas covered include:
Understanding what makes an effective team – Exploring the characteristics of high-performing teams and how these apply within the team’s own service context.
Building trust, psychological safety and inclusion – Strengthening openness, respect and inclusion within the team, enabling all voices to be heard and valued.
Clarifying purpose, roles and ways of working – Developing shared clarity on team purpose, goals, roles and accountabilities to improve alignment and reduce duplication or confusion.
Improving communication and collaboration – Enhancing how teams communicate, make decisions, manage conflict and work together day to day.
Team culture and behaviours – Identifying and shaping desired team behaviours, aligned to Our Leadership Way and Oxleas values.
Managing pressure and supporting wellbeing – Supporting teams to work effectively under pressure, manage workload and promote staff wellbeing.
Continuous improvement and team reflection – Embedding regular reflection, feedback and improvement, using practical tools to strengthen team performance over time.
The programme is highly practical and team-centred, using facilitated sessions, team diagnostics, real-time discussion and action planning. Teams work on their own challenges and opportunities, enabling immediate application and sustainable improvement in how they work together.
Coming Soon – Click here to view the leadership behaviours and competencies expected at this level. These set out what strong leadership looks like, supporting mid-level leaders to confidently bridge strategy and frontline delivery, aligning team performance with wider organisational goals and priorities.