Emerging Leaders
Monday 28 – Tuesday 29 September 2026
£1,850 + VATper participant
Maximum 20 participants
Equinexus Leadership Pathway | UK health and social care
Three transitions, one pathway
When leaders are not prepared for the responsibility they carry, the cost appears in repeated escalation, inconsistent standards, avoided conversations, senior-team firefighting and capable people leaving. The Equinexus Leadership Pathway develops leadership at the level where these problems occur.
Autumn 2026 bookings close Monday 31 August 2026.
Four-month blended programmeBirmingham, UK in-person dates12-month alumni accessAlumni community for lifeIn-house cohorts priced separately
Autumn 2026 cohorts now open
First-Line Leaders
Wednesday 30 September – Thursday 1 October 2026
£2,750 + VATper participant
Maximum 20 participants
Senior Leaders
Friday 2 – Saturday 3 October 2026
£4,500 + VATper participant
Maximum 12 participants
Location: Birmingham, UK
Venue: To be confirmed
Bookings must be confirmed by Monday 31 August 2026.
These are the opening in-person intensive dates, not the complete programme. Each pathway continues over four months through facilitated virtual sessions, fixed peer groups, workplace application and a final in-person graduation.
The pathways
Three distinct leadership pathways
Emerging Leaders
Lead through influence
For people beginning to lead without formal authority.
Experienced practitioners, senior carers, shift leads, preceptors and educators.
£1,850 + VAT per participant · up to 20
Focus
- Reading the team
- Setting expectations with peers
- Developing those coming behind
- Holding the standard among peers
First-Line Leaders
Lead a team
For people directly responsible for a team.
Team leaders, deputies and new managers responsible for people and performance.
£2,750 + VAT per participant · up to 20
Focus
- Reading the service
- Setting direction for the team
- Developing the staff
- Holding accountability in the team
Senior Leaders
Lead through leaders
For people accountable across services and functions.
Service heads, functional leaders and leaders of other managers.
£4,500 + VAT per participant · up to 12
Focus
- Reading the system
- Setting direction across services
- Developing the managers
- Holding accountability at a distance
The cost of unprepared leadership
Where the pressure shows up first
Development is matched to real responsibility, so the problems are addressed at the level where they occur rather than being sent upwards.
Senior team firefighting
Repeated escalation
Avoided conversations
Inconsistent standards
Capable people leaving
What the pathway is built on
The same four things, at three levels of responsibility
| Four things every leader does | Emerging LeadersLead through influence | First-Line LeadersLead a team | Senior LeadersLead through leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | Reading the team | Reading the service | Reading the system |
| Setting direction | Setting expectations with peers | Setting direction for the team | Setting direction across services |
| Developing others | Developing those coming behind | Developing the staff | Developing the managers |
| Holding the standard | Holding the standard among peers | Holding accountability in the team | Holding accountability at a distance |
Scroll the table sideways
Where we start
Your real leadership context
A leadership diagnostic and a current workplace challenge establish the starting point.
How it works
Practice, feedback and live challenges
In-person learning, virtual Practice Labs, fixed peer groups and workplace application.
What comes back
Evidence from the workplace
Leadership experiments, manager input, a Practice Record and a final capstone.
What your organisation gains
- Development matched to real responsibility
- A shared leadership language across levels
- A clearer pipeline from frontline to senior roles
- Fewer premature promotions
- Evidence that learning is applied at work
- Greater leadership depth across the organisation
Health and social care experience
Selected organisations we have worked with
Our health and social care experience spans NHS and independent care settings.
- Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
- Seren Healthcare Solutions
- Caremaid Services
- Blakehill Healthcare
- DarSarno Care Services
- Divine Care Group
- Empathy Care24
- Excel Care24
- Murray Healthcare Services
- Passion Homecare Services
- KD Healthcare
- First Class Healthcare
- University of Global Health Equity
How it runs
Cross-organisation cohorts
Four-month blended programmes with in-person learning, virtual Labs, fixed peer groups, workplace practice and graduation.
- Step 1
Orientation
Participants, and their managers, meet the programme: what it asks of them, how the four months run and what will be different at the end.
Virtual - Step 2
Reveal Yourself diagnostic
A structured self and manager view of current leadership practice, producing the honest starting point each participant works from.
Virtual - Step 3
In-person launch
Two days in the room together. The cohort forms, the leadership language is set and each participant leaves with a live workplace challenge.
In person - Step 4
Practice Labs
Short virtual sessions across the months where approaches are tested and rehearsed against real service situations, not case studies.
Virtual - Step 5
Learning Pods
Fixed peer groups meeting between labs to bring live problems, hold each other to commitments and keep the work honest.
Peer group - Step 6
Application at work
Leadership experiments run on the real service, with manager input and, on First-Line and Senior pathways, an individual clinic or coaching.
In the workplace - Step 7
Practice Record
A concise written record of what was tried, what changed and what the participant now does differently. Evidence, not attendance.
In the workplace - Step 8
Capstone and graduation
Groups present a real service challenge and the change they made, to peers and sponsors, and enter the twelve-month Leadership Hub.
In person
How we meet along the way
Five kinds of touchpoint, deliberately mixed
In-person days
Launch and capstone. Three to four days in the room, where trust and candour are built.
Virtual sessions
Orientation, diagnostic and Practice Labs. Short, focused and easy to protect around shifts.
Peer groups
Fixed Learning Pods, or a Peer Advisory Board at senior level, meeting through the programme.
In the workplace
The challenge, manager conversations and the Practice Record. The service is the classroom.
After graduation
Twelve months of Leadership Hub access, so the practice keeps going once the cohort ends.
The programme limits time away from the workplace. In-person dates are confirmed before places are booked, virtual sessions run in short scheduled blocks, and participants work on a current service priority rather than completing a separate academic project.
Pathway detail
Emerging, First-Line and Senior in full
From doing the work well to shaping how the team works
For experienced practitioners beginning to lead through their influence, judgement and contribution to the team. Build confident peer leaders before promotion and reduce the risk of promoting strong practitioners who are not yet ready to lead others.
Being good at the job is not the same as leading it.
Emerging leaders learn to influence practice, raise concerns, support others and provide direction, often before receiving a formal management title.
Who this is for
Colleagues already rely on them. They may coordinate a shift, support newer staff, share expertise or speak up when standards slip. The programme helps them lead with greater confidence, clarity and judgement.
Roles
- Senior carers, senior support workers and shift leads
- Care coordinators and practice leaders
- High-potential team members increasingly relied upon by others
- New supervisors whose leadership responsibility is just beginning
What participants work on
- Reading the team, noticing what people and the work require.
- Setting expectations with peers, being clear about standards without formal authority.
- Supporting others, teaching, mentoring and helping colleagues grow.
- Holding the standard among peers, raising concerns about practice in ways that get heard.
What your organisation gets
- Concerns raised earlier and more constructively
- Stronger support for new starters and less-experienced colleagues
- Greater consistency in standards across shifts
- Clearer evidence of readiness before promotion
- Stronger peer leadership without creating another management layer
Programme mix
In-person days3
Practice Labs5
Learning Pods4
Workplace challenge1
Cohort size
Capped at 20 participants so every voice is heard.
How it runs
Four-month blended programme
2-day launch · 5 Practice Labs · 4 Learning Pod meetings · workplace challenge · 1-day capstone and graduation.
Open-cohort fee
£1,850plus VAT per participant. Open cohort capped at 20. Includes venue, catering, materials and 12-month Hub access. Travel and accommodation excluded.
In-person launch: Monday 28 – Tuesday 29 September 2026 · Birmingham, UK · Organisations may book one or more places
Our Health & Social Care Experience
Clients have included
Our health and social care experience includes work with organisations across NHS, care-provider and wider health settings.
Fees and what is included
Fees per participant
- Emerging Leaders£1,850 + VATCohort limit 20
- First-Line Leaders£2,750 + VATCohort limit 20
- Senior Leaders£4,500 + VATCohort limit 12
Cohort limits: 20 · 20 · 12. In-house cohorts priced separately.
What the open-cohort fee includes
- Venue and catering
- Programme materials
- 12-month Hub access
- Travel and accommodation excluded
Four-month programme · 12-month alumni access · alumni community for life
After graduation
Twelve months of access, then the alumni community for life
Development continues after the capstone. For twelve months participants keep working with the same community through the Equinexus Leadership Hub, and they remain part of it afterwards.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this a two-day programme?
No. The September/October dates are the opening in-person intensive. Each pathway continues over four months.
Where will the Autumn 2026 cohorts take place?
The in-person sessions will take place in Birmingham. The specific venue will be confirmed.
Can an organisation book more than one participant?
Yes. Organisations may book one or more places, subject to cohort limits.
Can we nominate people at different leadership levels?
Yes. Organisations can nominate participants across the three pathways.
Is an in-house cohort available?
Yes. In-house cohorts are priced separately.
What is included in the open-cohort fee?
Venue/catering, programme materials and 12-month Hub access.
Are travel and accommodation included?
No. Travel and accommodation are excluded.
When do bookings close?
Monday 31 August 2026.
Hold a place on an Autumn 2026 cohort
Autumn 2026 bookings close Monday 31 August 2026.
Apply
Hold a place: a short application, not a brochure request
Six or seven minutes. We use your answers to check the pathway fits, to shape the cohort and to make sure the workplace challenge you bring is a real one.
- Four steps: you, your organisation, your leadership challenge, readiness
- Organisations may apply for one or more places
- Open cohorts capped at 20, 20 and 12 by pathway
- Fees include venue, catering, materials and 12-month Hub access
- We reply within three working days with the schedule and next steps
- Autumn 2026 bookings close Monday 31 August 2026
- Nothing is binding until a place is confirmed in writing