Steve Jenkin

Steve holds a qualification in social work and an MBA. Before becoming a chief executive at Queen Victoria Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Steve worked for a local authority children’s service. He has held a number of chief executive roles including being the chief executive of a national learning disability charity and the head of Peninsula Community Health, a social enterprise providing community healthcare.

 

Q: Was there a particular job, opportunity or experience which convinced you to apply for the chief executive role?

I have held chief executive roles prior to my current position at Queen Victoria Hospital. For nine years I was chief executive of a national charity supporting adults with a learning disability, and then three years running a social enterprise in Cornwall for adult community health services that had transferred out from the NHS under Transforming Community Services in 2011. Having successfully transferred the services in Cornwall back into the NHS in 2016, I saw the future in sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) being around collaboration and integration. I was attracted to the role at Queen Victoria Hospital, as in terms of clinical excellence and patient experience, it punches above its weight as the second smallest trust in the country, and I wanted to use my experience of collaborative working to secure the hospital’s future.

 

Q: What makes the trust chief executive job rewarding for you?

Very clearly, it’s patient experience – we have a fantastic reputation and strong brand for delivering outstanding care to our patients. It is extremely rewarding in the daily routine of reporting and the challenges both operationally and financially to receive as many comments back from patients of the services we provide. Also fantastic to see the clinical engagement and the can-do approach of our staff wanting to make a difference.

 

 

It is extremely rewarding in the daily routine of reporting and the challenges both operationally and financially to receive as many comments back from patients of the services we provide.

   

 

Q: What skills/qualities/values do you think that clinical professions bringing to senior leadership positions?

For me I can see the immense value that our clinical professionals, (the medical director and director of nursing) bring to our board, to our staff, patients and external stakeholders. People look up to them and respect them and in our hospital they demonstrate sound leadership, direction and support to colleagues.

 

Q: What more should the NHS be doing to support clinicians in to chief executive roles?

It is not easy to be an executive director of a board with all the challenges we face. Our medical director is currently enjoying the senior clinical directors course with The King’s Fund. It is clear if we want our clinical staff to become directors and/or chief executive we need to invest in their personal and professional development. I would be a strong supporter of replacing me in the future with a clinician.

 

Q: What words of wisdom do you have for clinicians thinking about stepping in to senior leadership roles?

Have a good work/life balance – keep the clinical role going but not more than one day a week. Ensure the board invests in your development. Appoint the right people around you for their specialities and let them blossom on to their roles. Real opportunity exists for you to make a difference, particularly at STP level, to make change happen well with counterpart clinical leaders.

 

For me I can see the immense value that our clinical professionals, (the medical director and director of nursing) bring to our board, to our staff, patients and external stakeholders. People look up to them and respect them and in our hospital they demonstrate sound leadership, direction and support to colleagues.

   

 

Q: Is there anything you have done or anything you’ve seen done, to encourage clinicians in to senior leadership positions?

I encouraged my current medical director to attend a course. In addition we now have a sound hospital management team comprising of the executive team, clinical leads and clinical directors, business managers and heads of nursing. I have a large team of around 26 people, but use that team together to make the important decisions for the trust such as how we will spend our capital next year and what our joint priorities are. For these priorities, clinically-led decision making is vital.