Thank You Event 2024: Leader of the Year - Winner
Every year we celebrate our amazing staff and their achievements at our Thank You ceremony. Board members will surprise colleagues at their bases and present them with a hamper, balloons and a certificate for being shining examples of our magnificent staff behaviours.
Leader of the Year - Winner
Nigel Hodgkins, (Head of Service, 0-19 Public Health Integrated Nursing Service (PHINS))
When Nigel joined LCH in 2021, he had to get to grips with a complex service that provides care to most families and children in Leeds. His knowledge of the 0-19 Public Health Integrated Nursing Service developed quickly and he used the team around him to learn and grow.
Every day, he balances the needs of a busy service, the needs of the wider Children’s Business Unit and the organisation. His ability to be an agile learner shines through and he has a knack of knowing what to do when not having all the information. He has humility and understands his strengths and weaknesses and can utilise the team to support those areas of need.
He supports innovation yet is focused on maintaining a high-quality service that meets targets and has an engaged workforce that delivers high quality care. He also is fully aware that they are challenged by the demands of families and children in Leeds. He collaborates across services and organisations working with a variety of colleagues of different backgrounds and disciplines and priorities. His ability to quickly grasp the nuances of the demands, expectations and asks is impressive.
He treats the team with respect, which prevents tensions and conflict from escalating, promoting trust in the service that he has their best interests at heart, and improves effectiveness. He has built belonging in the Senior Leadership Team and the Clinical Team Managers. He shows compassion daily by showing empathy, listening actively to the team and understanding as well as acting on what he’s hearing and seeing, which has developed an openness of dialogue.
Sarah Cooke, Clinical Change Lead for the Children’s Business Unit nominated Nigel on behalf of the 0-19 PHINS Leadership Team and said, “I truly believe that this has helped to retain staff in the service. He has a vision which motivates us in the senior leadership team and in others which has helped to make service improvements.”
Nigel tackles difficult conversations with thought and humility yet is firm and principled. He has emotional intelligence, and he will show when he is affected by difficult decision making him human. He has integrity and he speaks up for what is right without conflict or opposition, but with reason and clear thinking. He also expresses how grateful he is to the team and others who have helped the service all for the work they put in.
He shows resilience and can bounce back from obstacles and setbacks. He can respond adaptively to challenges maintaining a positive outlook when things are unexpected or unwelcome. Sarah included in her nomination, “He helps us all to maintain a shared vision, and the courage to move forward and overcome setbacks. He has boundaries and is willing to trust his team to hold and deliver the service in his absence. His family life is important, and he holds that in mind for us all if out of work occurrences are requiring our attention. He holds us all together and appreciates our efforts and makes use of the talents in the team. He thanks us all regularly and we thank him for being there to lead the service.”
