NHS senior nurses have hugely diverse roles – as clinicians, managers, leaders and mentors, they shape workplace culture as well as patient outcomes. Evidence tells us coaching approaches are an essential enabler of psychological safety, teamwork, continuous learning and service excellence.

Our client wanted to shift senior nursing leadership styles from ‘command and control’ to a more inclusive style that fostered a sense of belonging across the diverse workforce.

We were asked to work with 90 senior nurses to enhance their coaching skills. The goal was to equip them with practical techniques and professional insight to integrate coaching into their practice and conversations.

Equally important was ensuring they had opportunity to reflect on the impact of applying coaching skills in their clinical settings.

 

Instead of giving answers and solutions, 
I can support my team to find them themselves.

We delivered a coaching skills development programme for 90 band 7 and 8 nurses, split into six cohorts of 15 to allow open discussions and real-time feedback.

Workshops began by clarifying the differences between coaching, mentoring, supervision and management conversations. Aware of when to apply coaching, nurses learnt and practiced using the GROW coaching model.

They developed skills in active listening and asking open-ended questions, fostering curiosity, withholding judgment and empowering others to find solutions.

To support long-term learning, nurses received a ‘coaching toolkit’ and access to online follow-up support where they could reflect on their experiences, share insights and plan how to apply coaching in the future.

Participants completed a self-rated survey before and after the workshop to assess their understanding and confidence in relation to coaching approaches. Results showed a clear shift in nurses feeling more confident and equipped to apply coaching in their leadership and management roles.

Qualitative feedback gathered about each workshop emphasised how useful, engaging and insightful senior nurses found exploring and adopting coaching approaches to leadership. Key themes included the value of our interactive approach, allowing nurses to apply their learning in a structured way. There was also a greater appreciation of effective coaching techniques, such as active listening and asking thoughtful questioning.

The lessons learnt will help me to speak with my staff professionally, with more expertise.