Scope for Growth – Leadership Academy

Introduction to Scope for Growth

Scope for Growth – career conversations is a new approach to supporting personal growth and developing talent right across health and care. It is designed to provide a framework for high-quality, inclusive career conversations that help draw out an individual’s aspirations as well as their potential. It is a person-centred approach in which individuals are supported and encouraged to take ownership of their own professional development through coaching-style conversations that prioritise well-being.

Scope for Growth conversations are owned by the individual and supports those who want to develop within their current role, as well as those ready for the next step in their career.

A joint discussion facilitated by the line manager will identify where an individual currently sits on the framework, where they want to move to and how they will do this to develop their career in the way they would like to.

You can find more information about the framework in the Overview Guidance document.

In 2022 The Messenger Review of NHS leadership gave seven recommendations to support services in delivering the best possible care. In relation to equality, diversity and inclusion, it stated “EDI must be embedded and mainstreamed as the responsibility of all regardless of role, and especially leaders and managers from front line to board. This must include the practice of zero tolerance of discrimination, but also greater awareness of the realities in the workplace for those with protected characteristics”.

In line with the recommendations made by the review, Scope for Growth will help us to understand, nurture and develop all our people by making the aspirations of everyone more visible. It is therefore an important aspect of Scope for Growth that the outcomes of all conversations are recorded so that conversations ‘matter’.

Good conversation outcome data will inform succession planning, needs analysis and development planning.
Understanding the profile of your workforce will help to assess the risk points and ensure any blockers for particular groups are addressed.
Linking career conversation outcomes to the NHS Staff Survey to track how quality conversations impact this, for example does intention to stay rise where conversations take place.
Including career conversation outcome data will strengthen workforce information by including the aspirations and untapped potential of people, making sure plans are future-focussed.

As part of the NHS People Promise, we have all committed to making sure there are plentiful opportunities to learn and develop and everyone in the health and care sector is supported to reach their potential. We all have a role to play in ensuring equal access to these opportunities and supporting the development and retention of talented people from all backgrounds.

Our Talent Approach

Why Scope for Growth?

A consistent approach will ensure greater visibility of the talent and aspirations of our people, supporting more diverse talent pipelines and succession plans for critical roles.

This approach, extensively researched and applied worldwide, recognises the role of happiness and well-being in success at work, identifying and utilising character strengths, human potential, personal responsibility, purpose and values. It focuses on creating energy, maximising engagement and aligning this to create personal learning and development, relevant for the individual and the health and care sector.

The framework supports person-centred career development conversations built around three fundamental factors that are known to drive engagement and motivation:

positive self-identity and self-awareness
the power of relationships
a strong sense of purpose

Scope for Growth career development conversations should:

be holistic and person-centred
openly address bias and barriers
support growth and ambition
be fundamental to effective and supportive line management
encourage personal ownership of careers and development
put compassion and human connection first

The framework helps make sense of each individual journey, deepening shared understanding of aspirations. A joint discussion will identify where an individual currently sits on the framework and how they could develop their career either within their existing role or in a new role, ensuring everyone can flourish and thrive. This will empower our workforce, ultimately enabling health and care services to continue providing the very best patient care.

Aims and Benefits

Scope for Growth will help us deliver Our NHS People Promise, ensuring people are recognised, that we are always learning, and building a compassionate and inclusive culture.

Benefits for our people:

an opportunity to have an in-depth, rounded, person centred conversation that will help them to build energy, maximise engagement in their role and future career, and create personal learning and career development opportunities
a safe space which allows people to discuss their strengths, future aspirations, and contribution to their organisation
a way to take control of their own development and career by deepening and strengthening their skills in their current role, as well as being fully supported towards the next step of their career
real, practical career development steps they can take to support their ability to flourish and grow

Benefits for organisations

common standards and a unified and consistent view on talent within and across systems that mobilises the many, rather than a special few
a better understanding of the workforce’s talent, aspirations, and skill sets, and a clear understanding of how they can support everyone on their specific career journey
improved visibility of internal talent pipelines and talent pools at all levels across the service
stronger, more diverse pipelines into critical senior leadership roles and more opportunity to share talent between organisations, allowing for better integration and person-centred care
increased levels of engagement and motivation among all our people at a time when we are faced with an immense challenge to overcome

Pilot sites and early adopters

Initially socialised with a small number of early adopter sites in Summer 2021, over a two-year period more than 63 health and care organisations and systems piloted the approach. Using feedback from pilot sites and early adopters the Scope for Growth framework has been refined and learning has been used to inform and support wider implementation, with the aim that people at all levels across the NHS, who want a career conversation, will have the opportunity to have a Scope for Growth conversation.

Support

The Scope for Growth – career conversation programme of work sits within the portfolio of the Career Development and Tracking Team, Board Level Development and Careers – Staff Experience and Leadership Development, NHS England (NHSE).

The development, engagement and roll out of Scope for Growth – career conversations is shared between the following:

Career Development and Tracking Team, NHSE – leading development of the approach, materials and resources with key stakeholder input
Regional Teams, NHSE – leading regional engagement and supporting local implementation and roll out
Organisation/system talent leads – informing development and rolling out the approach appropriate to their needs
Line Managers and individuals – learning, delivering and owning the approach and outcomes

Resources

How can my organisation get involved

For more information read the Overview Guidance document or join the community on the Futures Platform.