Last month, the NHS launched its Leadership Academy in a bid to become a "world class" national centre and produce future generations of NHS leaders to drive improvements in patient care.
It is hoped the academy will help develop outstanding leadership in order to improve patients' experiences, health outcomes and wellbeing.
It will work with doctors, nurses, health professionals and managers from across the NHS. It will also work with public health and social care, and local government, where Health and Wellbeing Boards are key to improving health and care.
Speaking to HR following the launch, Royles said: "The context of work has changed - there is no longer command and control - and the context of leadership needs to change and we have to respond to this. Big multi- national organisations are using succession planning and have talent pipelines. In the NHS, we have never been able to say this. This is a serious approach - with time and investment behind it.
"The NHS is not one single employer with 1.4 million staff, it is hundreds of organisations. It is a system and organisation and an industry. We have to have the right approach to management development to attract the graduates. This academy will support and develop this."
The academy has four areas of work: developing the approach to leadership; providing a range of national programmes; supporting the development of local leadership capability; and supporting changing and developing parts of the NHS system.
Royles added: "The Health Bill will change the architecture of the NHS and it's the right time now to launch this.
"There is a need for critical leaders and we need a national, focused approach now."
