Health and Care Leadership and Moral Distress: Summit 2026 Session

Why It Matters

If senior leaders are routinely experiencing moral distress, it can erode retention, compromise governance and decision quality, and ultimately degrade patient care—making systemic responses to institutional constraints a priority.

Summary

At Summit 2026, Mind CEO Sarah and Knuffel Trust chief executive Thea Stein led a session distinguishing moral distress from moral injury and exploring its prevalence among health and care leaders. Stein described a small qualitative study of 15 anonymous CEOs about difficult decision‑making, using the classic definition of moral distress—knowing the right action but being constrained by institutions. Speakers linked moral distress to workforce strain, structural change, political pressures to cut bureaucracy, and unrealistic expectations about quick fixes (including AI). They argued these pressures contribute to high executive turnover and impaired leadership decision‑making across the sector.

Original Description

What does it mean to lead ethically and compassionately in a period of sustained pressure on health and care systems? Focusing on the transition from moral distress to moral injury, Thea Stein, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust, explores the realities of ethical leadership during resource scarcity. The discussion will explores the emotional toll this takes on leaders and staff, and how moral injury emerges when leaders are forced to repeatedly compromise their values.

This is followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A with by leaders who bring perspectives from health, social care, policing, and finance. Together, they examine how leaders can acknowledge moral injury, support their workforce, and sustain trust, integrity, and resilience while navigating unprecedented constraints.

Chair: Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive, Mind

Speaker: Thea Stein, Chief Executive, Nuffield Trust

Panel:

Dame Lynne Owens, Former Deputy Commissioner, Metropolitan Police;

Lyn Romeo, Chair, Workforce Panel NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care and Visiting Professor, King's College London

Hardev Virdee, Group Chief Financial Officer, Barts Health NHS Trust

Session at Nuffield Trust Summit, Beaumont House, Windsor, 5 March 2026