Care home leaders operate in environments characterised by regulation, workforce pressures, quality improvement demands and growing expectations around integration with health and care services. Many leaders can feel isolated within their own organisations and have limited opportunities to learn alongside peers facing similar challenges.  

The challenge was therefore twofold: 

• Support leaders to develop personally and professionally. 

• Build a sustainable learning community capable of spreading innovation, good practice and improvement across the wider care home sector.  

The programme also needed to equip participants with the confidence and capability to lead change, coach others, improve quality, work collaboratively and navigate the broader health and social care system.  

Collaborate Out Loud designed a highly participative leadership programme built around co-design, collaboration and experiential learning. The approach was grounded in the organisation’s principles of creating surprising, simple and social spaces for learning and innovation.  

The programme combined four core elements: 

• Five face-to-face leadership workshops 

• Collaborative coaching circles 

• Virtual learning labs 

• An online learning and sharing community supported by quality improvement projects  

Learning centred around five themes: 

1. Connecting to Self

Participants explored: 

• Leadership styles and behaviours 

• Personal development needs 

• Authentic leadership 

• Understanding themselves as leaders  

2. Connecting, Coaching and Collaborating with Others

The programme focused on: 

• Team leadership 

• Shared leadership cultures 

• Coaching skills 

• Feedback 

• Empathy and relationship building 

• Collaboration across organisations  

3. Leading Innovation and Evidence-Based Practice

Participants developed skills in: 

• Quality improvement 

• Innovation 

• Learning cultures 

• Spread and adoption of good practice 

• Storytelling and influencing change  

4. Navigating the Greater Manchester System

Leaders explored: 

• Health and social care integration 

• Stakeholder relationships 

• Patient pathways 

• Social prescribing 

• The role of care homes within wider systems of care  

5. Connecting to Place

The final module focused on: 

• Reflection and learning 

• Sustaining networks 

• Technology and leadership 

• Building stronger local connections 

• Continuing leadership development beyond the programme  

Throughout the programme, coaching circles provided structured opportunities for participants to help one another address real-world challenges and apply new learning directly to their leadership practice.

The project demonstrated how movement can become a practical tool for improving wellbeing and supporting employability outcomes.  

Participants explored the connections between movement, confidence, social connection, emotional wellbeing, routine and motivation. Conversations shifted away from exercise targets and towards helping people identify what matters to them and how movement could support wider life goals.  

The programme also strengthened practitioner confidence and capability, helping staff have more inclusive, strengths-based and motivational conversations with the people they support. 

“Collaborate Out Loud’s co-design approach created training that was shaped by both staff and participants. The result has been more person-centred conversations, helping people overcome barriers, improve wellbeing and take positive steps forward.” 
Elodie Ritter, Partnerships & Integration Manager, Restart Scheme, Ingeus 

 “Through co-design and practical workshops, Collaborate Out Loud helped staff reframe conversations about employability, wellbeing and movement, creating a more inclusive approach to supporting people towards positive change.” 
Claire Marshall, Strategic Lead – Active Adults, GM Moving 

We learned that leadership development is most impactful when it combines personal reflection, peer learning and practical application. 

Participants repeatedly emphasised the value of learning alongside others, particularly in a safe environment where hierarchy was removed and people felt able to share challenges honestly. This sense of community reduced isolation and helped leaders recognise that many of their challenges were shared across the sector.  

We also learned that coaching and collaborative approaches can transform leadership behaviour. Leaders reported becoming better listeners, asking more effective questions and creating stronger relationships with staff through trust and empowerment rather than control.  

Importantly, participants recognised the link between leadership behaviour and care quality. Changes in communication, team engagement and confidence were reported to have a direct positive impact on service delivery and the experiences of people receiving care.  

Ultimately, the programme demonstrated that leadership is not simply about managing services. It is about creating the conditions in which people, teams and organisations can learn, collaborate and improve together. By connecting leaders across Greater Manchester, building confidence and creating opportunities for shared learning, the programme helped establish foundations for a more connected, collaborative and person-centred care system.