A leadership programme for all nurses and midwives from a minority ethnic background in England
The Florence Nightingale Foundation is committed to providing equity of access to leadership opportunities for nurses and midwives from minority ethnic backgrounds. We want to close the gap in career opportunities across health and social care settings.
Aims and objectives
The programme aims to empower participants by helping them identify and refine their personal leadership style while enhancing their self-presence and personal impact. It seeks to deepen their understanding of how their actions influence others and build confidence in speaking up effectively.
Participants will develop the skills to lead improvement initiatives and tackle workplace challenges with renewed self-reliance. The programme also fosters greater awareness of personal leadership approaches, including biases, blind spots, and attitudes toward diversity, ultimately supporting career promotion. By leading with greater presence, participants can contribute to improved patient care and health outcomes.
You can read programme Alumni, Funke Adewoye’s blog, to find out more, here.
The leadership course was a complete package and truly transformational. I have taken that huge step to move out of the comfort zone, I dare say I am in the fear zone and it can be quite crippling as I take up a new role but with it also comes the excitement to learn new things, embrace more challenges and make impact.
Funke Adewoye, Practice Educator Nurse
Partners
Eligibility Criteria
To participate in the programme you must:
- be a registered nurse or midwife with the NMC working within NHS England or independent providers who are contracted to provide NHS services.
- come from a minority ethnic background.
- be practicing in England.
- be a minimum of two years post qualification.
- have an idea for an improvement project focusing on health inequalities.
Programme Structure
Day 1
Welcome Day and Personality Preferences and Performance in Teams (Virtual)
Utilising Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) we will explore how personality preference influence personal leadership styles and how awareness can enable the promotion of high performing teams.
Day 2
Principles and Practice of Quality Improvement (Virtual)
An introduction to QI including approaches to leading change management and measuring impact.
Day 3
Presentation of Self: Presence & Impact
Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts RADA (Face to Face)
Practical approaches to developing confidence and clarity in the delivery of key messages for a range of audiences including the media and senior stakeholders.
** Travel and any accommodation are not funded.
Day 4 and Day 5
Influencing and Building Your Authority: (Virtual)
Development of leadership attributes which enable influence from ward to board. Specific consideration will be given to exploring the INA leader’s sphere of authority in relation to systems leadership and leading upwards.
Day 6
Next Steps Day: (Virtual)
Participants are introduced to the co-consulting coaching method, reflect on their leadership journey so far and discuss next steps in their career pathway.
Day 7
Celebration Event (Face to Face)
An opportunity to network showcase and celebrate the impact of INMA leaders to raise the profile of this significant career pathway.
** Travel and any accommodation are not funded.
Additional information
- Each participant on the programme will be expected to undertake an improvement project focusing on health inequalities, which will enable them to apply their learning to practice.
- The top projects will be selected to present at the Celebration Event.
- All participants will join the FNF alumni community and receive on going networking and leadership development opportunities through events, webinars, media engagement and policy thought leadership.
Programme dates
There will be two separate cohorts within the programme, with a joint celebration event at the end.
If your application is successful you will be allocated one of the cohort dates.
- April 2025 – January 2026
- June 2025 – January 2026
Please see the full list of dates for the two cohorts, below.
Location
The programme will take place online and in London.
Cohort 1 Dates
Welcome
Virtual
Quaity Improvement
Virtual
Personal Presence and Impact (RADA)
Face to face (London)
Influencing and Building Your Authority
Virtual
Action Learning Set
Virtual
Next Steps
Virtual
Joint Celebration Day
Face to face (London)
Cohort 2 Dates
Welcome
Virtual
Quaity Improvement
Virtual
Personal Presence and Impact (RADA)
Face to face (London)
Influencing and Building Your Authority
Virtual
Action Learning Set
Virtual
Next Steps
Virtual
Joint Celebration Day
Face to face (London)
Cost
This programme is funded by NHS England and there is no cost to applicants, apart from any travel or other related costs.
Application Process
- How you will use the programme to work with others, learn from, and share experiences.
- How the programme will support your personal development plan (PDP).
- How you will use the experience to improve health inequalities – outline of your proposed improvement/change project.
- Your aspirations to develop as a leader.
- Support from your line manager or Chief Nurse to enable you to attend all learning sessions/opportunities as part of this programme.
Upon application, you are required to include the following information:
- Personal, employment and education information.
- Support from your line manager or Chief Nurse with authorisation to join the programme.
Please note before application:
- You need to complete the form in one sitting – if you close the page before submission then any data you have entered will be lost.
- Applications that do not demonstrate commitment to the profession, improving patient and health outcomes, commitment to the Florence Nightingale Foundation Alumni will not be considered.
- Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
- Applications without line manager or Chief Nurse support will not be accepted.
- Programme places are fully funded however any associated travel or accommodation must be covered by your employing organisation. Support from your line manager is acknowledgement of this statement.
If you have any questions about applying for this programme, please contact us.