Perceptions of clinical leadership in an aged care residential facility in Perth, Western Australia

Objective: To investigate the perceptions and approaches to leadership and leadership development of senior nurses and care home managers in an aged care residential facility. Method: A descriptive phenomenological research approach was employed to support purposive sampling. A questionnaire (n=10) was used, followed by interviews (n=8). Analysis employed an SPSS and NVivo 0.6 computer programs, with manual data configuration as required. Results: Participants saw a distinction between their role as leaders and managers and that their more clinically focused responsibilities favoured a greater affinity with clinical leadership. In addition, the attributes and characteristics of clinical leaders identified by participants were approachability, clinical skills, clinical knowledge, honesty, integrity, support for others and visibility in the clinical area. Conclusion: The development and deployment of clinical leadership attributes are vital so that senior nurses and care home managers can play a more effective part in care provision and service improvement in the residential care environment.