IBMS Manchester Branch: Leadership Workshops

During discussions with pathology trainers at the Greater Manchester Pathology Network Workforce Subgroup meetings, there was a perceived gap in our offers to all staff around communication skills. These skills were seen as vital to the effective running of departments and the development prospects of staff.

As this was seen as a Greater Manchester wide gap across pathology, the Greater Manchester Pathology Network offered to support a series of face-to-face workshops and successfully sourced funding from NHSE to facilitate these.

So far two workshops have taken place – 'Communication Skills for Training' (aimed at new trainers and those who are involved in staff training in an informal capacity in their role) and 'Is Giving Support the Secret to Success?' (Aimed at support staff who want to demonstrate their potential).

“ We had fun at both events with lots of interaction and engagement from attendees. This resulted in both workshops receiving feedback averaging 4.63/5.0 and ideas that will inform future workshops," said Julie Miller, workshop facilitator. 

Can helping others be the secret of your success?

Multiple workforce teams in Pathology Laboratory Services across the Northwest attended a workshop day to join Julie Miller (Practice Educator Facilitator) and Lucy Smyth (Senior lecturer, Salford University) in a day of team building, communication skills and appreciation of what it is to become a role model.  We had great attendance and engagement from delegates, they were fantastic to work with and it was lovely to see some familiar faces there from Salford University too!  Julie is always a pleasure to work with; we go back many years to the start of our apprenticeship degree in 2017.  We want to expand opportunities for pathology lab staff from all over the UK to benefit from such motivational sessions and we are seeking input from those interested in developing their CV and joining us in delivering these opportunities.

Plans for 2024

Looking ahead, we are excited to announce two upcoming workshops scheduled for March 2024:

• Leadership should be for everyone: Geared towards staff in supervisory roles from NHS band 4 to band 7 or equivalent.
• Training for New Trainers: A follow-up day from the Communication workshop, focusing on practical training skills - run by Tahmina Hussain and Zonya Jeffrey.

Our workshops have been designed and delivered in partnership with pathology and Higher Education Institutions, as well as colleagues across Greater Manchester, which has introduced authenticity and expertise which the team have been grateful for.