Building relationships maximising the nhs north west leadership academy membership
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Championing Compassionate Leadership Across Two Trusts: Teresa Hopley’s Legacy
Senior System Leads at the NHS North West Leadership Academy serve as key contacts for member organisations across Lancashire and South Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside, and Greater Manchester. As trusted advisors and allies, they help design bespoke development interventions and integrate the NWLA’s full membership offer into local strategies.
As Teresa Hopley, Head of Talent, Leadership, and Organisational Development Consultancy at Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, approaches retirement, she reflects on a career devoted to nurturing compassionate leadership in the NHS. Her journey has been marked by the challenges and achievements of leading across two distinct NHS trusts—and by the vital support of the NHS North West Leadership Academy (NWLA). A standout feature of Teresa’s role has been the dual leadership responsibility across both trusts. Despite close collaboration between the organisations, each trust has its own culture, demographic profile, and operational complexities. Leading effectively in this context has required Teresa to tailor
In the organisational development aspect of her work, Teresa and her team partner with teams and leaders, guiding them to think differently and adopt new approaches to progress. Working across two trusts has naturally presented capacity challenges. Teresa notes that her team often needed to “adapt information to suit each trust,” all while promoting collaboration and the sharing of best practices. “Working for two organisations is demanding. But when we implement new ways of working or successful initiatives, it’s incredibly rewarding.” When Teresa stepped into her current role two years ago, both trusts were members of the NWLA. While the benefits of this membership were initially underused, that changed dramatically following her partnership with Suzanne Douglas, Senior System Lead for Greater Manchester.
“Our engagement with the NHS North West Leadership Academy has been completely transformed. We’ve focused on extracting full value from our membership,” Teresa says. “Suzanne has been instrumental—she’s helped us tap into available resources and connected us to wider system support.”
Thanks to regular catch-ups with Suzanne, Teresa has been able to implement various leadership development opportunities.
Loma Krisson loma.krisson@nhs.net Lancashire & South Cumbria
“We’re co-producing new leadership offers with our teams. We’ve recently launched a leadership improvement programme—with support from the NWLA, we were able to access excellent facilitators through its framework, saving us from the time-consuming tender process.” The trusts have also adopted the NWLA Coaching and Mentoring Hub, enabling staff to benefit from personalised development opportunities. Additionally, in-house coaching has been strengthened through an apprenticeship scheme, reinforcing a culture of ongoing learning and leadership growth. Though Teresa is stepping down from her role this year, she is confident that the relationship between her trusts and the NWLA will continue to thrive. “I would strongly encourage other organisations to build close working relationships with their Senior System Lead. Regular conversations have been invaluable—they’ve helped us see what’s possible.”
Greater Manchester
development initiatives that resonate uniquely within each organisation.
Suzanne Douglas suzanne.douglas3@nhs.net
“Our priority is to attract and retain top talent— and to support their development once they’re here. We aim to cultivate high-performing individuals who want to grow with us and recommend us as an employer,” Teresa explains. “Leadership isn’t just about formal roles. We believe everyone has the capacity to lead—whether they manage teams or influence others.”
Cheshire & Merseyside
Dawn Misbet dawn.nisbet@nhs.net
discover more:
Read the full interview with Teresa Hopley on our website.
nw.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk | Leader
Leader | nw.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk
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