Our approach
In accordance with principles of coaching and adult learning theory, our facilitators and coaches collaborate with commissioners and participants to deliver learning experiences that allow the individual to create meaning and reflect on that meaning for themselves, in collaboration and reflection with a larger learning community. As facilitators and coaches, we believe in “holding space” that allows for expertise and lived experience to be at the centre of reflection and development.
The Coaching Academy provide free and commissioned services to support anyone in the health and care system to work innovatively. We can help you with everything from developing an innovator’s mindset, creating teams with a positive culture that are confident to improve, to working with you to investigate your challenges and find the right innovation to make a real difference.
We are part funded by NHS England, and, as part of the NHS, we are a not-for-profit organisation. This means that we offer part of our time to support programmes included in local and national NHS priorities and policy. We also offer services on a cost recovery basis, which allow us to work with even more individuals, teams, organisations and systems on issues that are most important to them.
We do this by:
- working with you to understand the challenge(s) that you face,
- identifying the best opportunities to support you, whether a bespoke programme, or one of our ‘core’ offers; if we aren't in the best position to assist you, we’ll refer you to a provider that has deeper expertise, if possible,
- taking time to discuss our offer with you, including a transparent conversation about our fees (if applicable); our pricing is fair and reasonable, and feedback consistently shows that our prices are affordable and offer excellent value for money.
Our expertise
The Coaching Academy has decades of combined experience in the health and care sector, including many team members with highly specialised skills and knowledge. We’ll match the best team member to your challenge, to ensure a great partnership. Many of our managers and associates are qualified coaches and highly experienced facilitators with strong connections in the North West Coast. See Our Expertise to meet the team.
Coaching Academy’s competency framework
Our competency framework is used throughout our various learning, development and training offers. You will be asked to self-assess your competencies at the beginning and at the end of the course to measure how you have progressed. Our goal is to support you to ‘perform’ in all these competencies.
Join us on Future NHS
This platform is where our learning, development and training offers will be available. You do not need to be NHS staff to sign up.
Six reasons to work with us
- We know the system – Relationships are our business, and that of the Health Innovation North West Coast. We can draw from a deep pool of knowledge. We can also provide a valuable system-level perspective to teams who are focused on one service area or within a defined geography.
- We are flexible and agile – We can scale up and access expertise that suits your project best. We can adjust course or workshop content to fit the needs of your team/organisation and work around your schedule.
- We are creative – We can introduce new, innovative approaches to tackling the ‘same’ problems. Doing things differently can feel strange, but the results are often very positive!
- We have an external perspective – We offer unbiased, safe spaces for you and your team to work out the tricky bits. Many partners comment that more new ideas and ways of working emerge when they feel less constrained by internal barriers. In other words, we empower you to step outside of the box.
- We want to see lasting change – We are not interested in ‘quick fixes’. We want to help you be as successful as possible and achieve lasting change. This means uncovering the root of your challenges – which can often be cultural – and ensuring solutions are co-produced with input from those who are directly impacted.
- We have an excellent track record/reputation – We will happily share our many case studies or put you in touch with past partners who can speak to you about our work.
Getting started
Most of the Coaching Academy’s work begins as a conversation. Drop us a line at coach@healthinnovationnwc.nhs.uk to tell us a little about your needs and we will get back in touch with you. Some programmes are free, while others will require budget; however, we may be able to help you create a business case or access funding that you may not know about. It all starts with a discussion.
Resources
We share our passion for innovation generously. Here are some great resources from the Health Innovation North West Coast and further afield that you may be interested to check out.
