Types of Teams within NHS England
There are four types of NHS England teams, each of which is suitable for specific tasks. Functional and cross-functional NHS teams can be comprised of organizational representatives and drive resource allocation and planning with regard to different issues, such as employee vaccination against COVID-19 (NHS England, n.d.b). Problem-solving NHS teams, as the term suggests, are formed to develop solutions for local and regional health-related problems and are actively involved in root cause analysis (RCA) endeavors (Niche Health and Social Care Consulting, 2020). Next, NHS England project teams promote and oversee the implementation of specific projects. For instance, the Health & Work team is tasked with conducting clinical research aimed at testing the effects of a novel employment service on citizens with disabilities (Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, n.d.). NHS virtual teams represent employee groups communicating via digital tools to promote health. For instance, Dorset’s virtual team consisting of nurses and doctors has been organized to assess patients with COVID-19 symptoms remotely and analyze the need for hospitalization (NHS England, n.d.a).
Importance of Diverse Teams and What Makes an Effective NHS Team
As demonstrated above, the types of teams used within NHS England are vastly dissimilar. Having all these teams in place is important since team specification further clarifies team member selection criteria and eliminates disorganized teamwork. Moreover, having teams of different types enables the NHS to effectively implement dissimilar opportunities for benefiting patients. For instance, virtual teams make remote services possible, whereas problem-solving groups promote improvement at a more global level. NHS teams’ success relates to the effectiveness of the forming stage specified in Tuckman’s and Jensen’s model (Chapman & Kivlighan, 2019). For instance, to be successful, an NHS team should be structured around a clearly formulated and non-vague goal and have specific practice outcomes in mind when acting. Participant selection also determines effectiveness to a large extent. Particularly, teams tend to be more successful when core skill assessments and the clarification of professional and behavioral standards to be practiced precede collective action (NHS England, 2014).
References
Chapman, N., & Kivlighan, D. M. (2019). Does the cohesion-outcome relationship change over time? A dynamic model of change in group psychotherapy. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 23(2), 91-103.
Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. (n.d.). National Health Service, strategy group, England (co-sponsored with the Harvard Global Health Institute). Web.
NHS England. (2014). Building and strengthening leadership: Leading with compassion.
NHS England. (n.d.a). Dorset’s virtual working helped monitor COVID patients at home.
NHS England. (n.d.b). Vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) for healthcare workers: Phase 1 – planning and preparation.
Niche Health and Social Care Consulting. (2020). An independent investigation into the care and treatment of a mental health service user (Mr. Z) in West London.