Coaching and Mentoring

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) manages the Executive Coaching Register for NHS Scotland.

This is a quality assured framework of executive coaches within the NHS. The Framework Agreement, under which coaches in the Register operate, supports national leadership priorities and national leadership development programmes, as well as providing a resource for individual NHS Scotland Boards to draw on for their executive coaching needs.   

To access executive coaching under this framework agreement, please contact your Board's OD Lead at first instance to discuss the appropriate support for you, and the  funding arrangements, as this service carries a cost.

Some examples of how the register supports executive and senior leaders:  

• Enabling and sustaining transformative leadership, which will steer individuals and teams through unprecedented change and uncertainty, whilst managing significant personal uncertainty; 
• Supporting effective transition into a new role, specifically Chairs, Chief Executives, Executive Directors and other members of NHS Scotland Boards;
• Supporting individual leaders to consider their unique leadership style and approach and to enable their authenticity in the workplace;  
• Supporting individual leaders to build resilience and their capability to influence and challenge whilst working in a complex, uncertain environment; 
• Complementing the national leadership programmes provided by the NHS Education for Scotland; 
• Supporting the wider development of a coaching culture in NHS Scotland by providing coaching supervision and contributing to in-house coach training;
• Providing team coaching for senior teams in transition or in challenging contexts.  

Our coaching philosophy holds that the individual is a talented, competent individual with many strengths and that, through coaching, we help the individual to unlock that potential to maximise their performance/behave more effectively in achieving their own and their organisation’s goals. The focus is on supporting individuals to learn not just about themselves, but also how they relate to their organisation and the wider health and social care context in order that they can be effective leaders across the system.

The Register provides an exceptional, diverse and experienced group of coaches to support NHS senior leaders with the current scale and scope of challenges. All the coaches in the Register are of exceptional quality who align with our philosophy of coaching, and have significant experience relevant to the coaching outcomes supported by the register at this time.

OD/Coaching Leads in NHS Scotland Boards: Any questions and further information about the Register, please contact ODLL@nes.scot.nhs.uk.