LAUSR

Succession planning is an organizational approach to vacancy replacement and is often associated with or directed toward senior leadership positions. Latterly, it has received less attention in health care research but as we approach a new era in which services provided by the National Health Service (NHS) and social care are transformed and how the impact of these 44 new services are evaluated as both successful and sustainable (Ham et al., 2017) succession planning is likely to return as a hot topic. As funding is reallocated and services are redistributed to favour more community-focussed care, there will need to be strategic leadership in critical care services to ensure these remain sustainable and of high quality. The health care professions have always focussed upon skill acquisition and performance through a quasi-apprenticeship, coaching and mentorship scheme from student to consultant (Hampel et al., 2010) to ensure the next generation of practitioners are fit for purpose and practice. So, succession planning in its broadest sense is not the sole preserve of management, human resources and executive team leaders. Succession planning targets training and development opportunities to ensure key positions are filled internally should a vacancy arise through attrition, retirement or ill health. Thus an organization is not left vulnerable in any key area. Risk is reduced and by proxy, the organization is considered to be sustainable because it exercises succession planning. Planning for the future when struggling to deliver a service under increasing work load demands and time pressures may not be a priority. Even less of a priority if that future is being planned around the potential of your absence. Unless viewed through a legacy lens, sharing experiences to facilitate others to acquire a range of new skills to potentially replace you, can seem burdensome. Uncertainty about the future might compound a willingness to provide programmes to upskill. However, succession planning is becoming an increasingly essential component of NHS delivery and is notable within the sustainable transformation plans (STPs). Advancing transformation through effective leadership is the mantra of the STP (Ham et al., 2017). However, in the NHS everyone is considered key to delivering a high-quality service and leadership can be exercised by every employee, not just those in an executive position (Storey and Holti, 2013). Ergo, succession planning should be inherent throughout the system and be a consideration of all and not just senior managers or executives. Succession planning provides opportunity to establish what is core to any key role and what skills and competencies are required to fulfill it. This helps the persons responsible to reflect upon the inherent values that underscore the service or role and what elements, activities and strengths are required of the potential successor. That is if there is a degree of stability within the system and certainty about what the role might entail in the future. Horizon scanning is a notoriously complex and inexact science. Thus forward planning has to include the capabilities to cope with enduring challenges, ‘wicked problems’ (Rittel and Webber, 1973) and uncertainty and find people who are motivated to work in these conditions. The challenges are: