What kind of leadership does integrated care need

Primary care clinicians and clinical commissioners are the current focus for much leadership investment and development. In this article I propose that we need to look beyond traditional thinking about effective leader behaviour and conventional approaches to leader development based on this thinking. The paper identifies some of the lessons that can be learnt from both the current academic discussion of collaborative leadership, and from an analysis of successes and failures of leadership within the NHS. Two leadership strategies are considered: the development of communities of practice and the use of connected mini-transformations to generate wider system transformation. In a period of systems change, with potential for conflict between providers and commissioners, these strategies are helpful in encouraging the ‘mindfulness’ that is needed to ensure integration across the complex landscape of healthcare in London.