Writing, advice and training on leadership is growing at a vigorous rate with various frameworks now competing for attention. Having a clear sense of which leadership ideas and practices are rooted in sound theory and convincing evidence, and which are more speculative, is vital for healthcare leaders. This book provides a coherent set of six lenses through which to scrutinise the leadership literature relevant to healthcare - leadership concepts, characteristics, contexts, challenges, capabilities and consequences. It offers a view of leadership beyond the traditional focus on the individual, and argues instead that leadership has to be understood and developed as a complex set of practices by many people within specific organisational and inter-organisational contexts and cultures. This framework is particularly valuable in the highly dynamic and changing context of the public and voluntary sectors generally, and of the NHS and the field of healthcare specifically.''Leadership for Healthcare'' will be useful not only to those who have a formal or informal leadership position in a healthcare organization, but also to those in government, education, housing, leisure services, the police, fire services and the voluntary sector.