A programme built by researchers and clinicians, designed exclusively for doctors, and grounded in evidence that physician leadership improves healthcare organisations.

Leadership specifically for doctors

The EMML launched in 2017 on a straightforward premise: doctors deserve leadership education built for their profession. Not a generic multidisciplinary course, but one that respects the distinct responsibilities, training and culture of medical leadership practice. That was a new idea for a UK business school.

Over 300 doctors have now completed the programme. They come from every specialty and work across NHS and independent healthcare settings. Our international students, who self-fund, bring a welcome global perspective.

The shape of the programme matters as much as the content. It runs part-time over two years, with teaching from January to September each year in monthly two-day blocks on a Friday and Saturday: 33 days of face-to-face teaching in total. Participants remain in full-time clinical practice throughout, so their organisations gain leadership capability without losing frontline time – and this facilitates our learn-apply-learn-apply practice. Participants undertake assignments and an impact project set and graded by leading academics. Executive coaching and action learning is embedded.

Outcomes that matter

Around 60% of EMML students are promoted while still on the programme. Graduates move into roles including:

• Clinical Director
• Divisional Medical Director
• Group Medical Director
• CEO
• ICU Head across multiple hospitals
• Director of Clinical Services.

Others take their medical training into the wider health economy: pharmaceuticals, medical technology and devices, digital health, artificial intelligence and health data, biotech, clinical research, insurance, regulatory affairs, health-focused venture capital and management consultancy.

Students report gains in confidence, strategic capability, self-awareness and the ability to manage organisational complexity. Their line managers and employers confirm it.

Beyond individual careers and organisational benefit, the programme builds something harder to measure but equally valuable: a tight, lasting network of medical leaders who support one

Why it works

Three ingredients:

1.A doctor-only cohort. Physicians across specialties can challenge one another and speak openly about the pressures they face. The psychological safety is real.

2.Learn, apply, learn, apply. Participants put their learning to work in clinical settings within days rather than years. In addition, each Leadership Impact Project is a live change initiative in the doctor's own organisation.

3.Two years of executive coaching and action learning. This is what embeds behavioural change rather than simply adding knowledge.

Why it matters now

Our research, published in the British Journal of Industrial Relations, found that a one-unit increase in line-manager quality is associated with a 17% fall in NHS staff intention to quit. The message is clear. Good leadership retains staff; poor leadership drives them out. With the NHS facing historic workforce shortages, raising the quality of line managers is imperative.

Celebrating ten years

We started with research showing that expert leaders improve organisational performance, and built a programme around it. Ten years and over 300 graduates later, the Executive Master’s in Medical Leadership (EMML) continues to grow and evolve. We have six £5000 Bayes scholarships available for self-funding students.

None of it would have been possible without the NHS organisations, independent healthcare providers and primary care organisations who have backed their doctors, including:

• UCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)
• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• HCA
• Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)
• St George’s Epsom and St Heliers (GESH)
• East Kent NHS
• Barts Health NHS Trust
• Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS
• The Priory Group
• South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS

And many more who have invested in their doctors' development, year after year.

We owe an enormous debt to our faculty and guest speakers, who bring both rigour and generosity to their teaching, and to the Bayes professional team whose work behind the scenes keeps everything running. Most of all, we are grateful to every doctor who has trusted us with their leadership journey.

The new cohort kicks off in January 2027. The next ten years start here. Apply now for the Executive Master's in Medical Leadership