[The National Health Service needs to train doctors who are leaders in change.]

Several new health technologies are going to be introduced in the healthcare system, as well as new ways of making diagnoses, new drugs, new strategies for customizing therapy. Introducing innovation requires a considerable effort from healthcare decision-makers. In fact, every innovation may have an impact in terms of altering diagnostic and clinical pathways, but also in terms of processes, organizational structures, services and interventions delivery, costs. Facing these continuous changes, we need to support the growth of leading doctors: leadership development should start during medical school. Health systems should identify potential leaders, characterized by intelligence, deep medical culture, humanity and passion, involving them in task forces, committees, periodic retreat teams protected by the pharmaceutical industry influence, experiential training programs. Being trained on organizational, communication and team-building aspects, new medical leaders can master core competencies such as strategic planning and change management. Continuous support, through a system of tutoring by other leaders, will increase emotional intelligence, facilitating decision-making processes and improving communication and collaboration skills. Adopting strategies like those described, the health system will achieve the efficiency and organizational effectiveness needed to prevent waste and to grant the benefits of pharmacological and technological innovation to all the stakeholders.