Developing health leadership with Health LEADS Australia

Purpose: Leadership, and leadership development, in health and human services is essential. This review aims to draw conclusions from practice within the Australian context.

Design/methodology/approach: This review is an overview of health leadership development in Australia, with a particular focus on the implementation of the national health leadership framework, Health LEADS Australia (HLA).

Findings: Since its inception, the HLA has influenced the development of health leadership frameworks across the Australian states and territories. Both the National Health Leadership Collaboration and individuals with “boundary-spanning” roles across state government and the university sector have contributed to the development of collaborative online communities of practice and professional networks. Innovation has also been evident as the HLA has been incorporated into existing academic curricula and new professional development offerings. Ideas associated with distributed leadership, integral to the HLA, underpin both sets of actions.

Practical implications: The concept of a national health leadership framework has been implemented in different ways across jurisdictions. The range of alternative strategies (both collaborative and innovative) undertaken by Australian practitioners provide lessons for practice elsewhere.

Originality/value: This article adds to the body of knowledge associated with policy implementation and provides practical recommendations for the development and promotion of health leadership development programmes.