The shift to collaborative working and integration in the English NHS: Developing shared leadership in Primary Care Networks

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the leadership challenge of developing collaborative working with specific reference to Primary Care Networks in the English NHS, using the theoretical lens of shared leadership. This approach to leadership may be appropriate in the context of the policy shift towards collaboration and integrated care currently being pursued in the UK and in other countries. A conceptual framework is developed from extant literature, identifying the antecedents of shared leadership that help to explain how shared leadership may be developed. The framework is then used to offer insight into how shared leadership may be developed in the networks. The order of the paper is as follows: firstly, we discuss the policy background and changes in primary care in the NHS; next, we discuss shared leadership and its antecedents, and propose a conceptual framework; we then use the framework to offer a non-empirical understanding of the case of Primary Care Networks; and finally, we discuss the practical implications relating to developing shared leadership in this context.