Seven leadership lessons we learnt from our big interview with Raina Summerson, chief executive officer of Agincare
Train, Train Train
I’ve seen from different angles what it’s like to go into someone’s home, or a hospital or a care home, and not quite know what situation you’re going to face, and having to deal with a lot of physical and emotional work. The importance of training and support, and feeling that you have got support networks in that process, is really important.
For the people who draw on care and support, remembering how important that is in their lives is key. That’s absolutely fundamental. It informs where we invest our time and resources, and how we represent our care team members and how we communicate with them.
Be prepared to adapt
I think our growth has been about spotting emerging trends and themes and being able to invest in those. One of our strengths has been the range of services we offer, so we’ve been able to flex as circumstances change. We’ve kept our core operations strong but flexible, and we’ve invested in new and innovative ways of working when opportunities have come up. It’s about responding to demand and being prepared to adapt.
Understand different perspectives
I’m very passionate about good quality care, but I don’t see quality as being done for the regulator. It’s done because it’s the right thing to do. The regulator provides a benchmark, but that’s not why we do it.
My experience across local government, central government and the independent sector means I try to understand different perspectives. I can put myself in the shoes of a regulator or commissioner and think about their pressures and boundaries, but it also gives me the confidence to challenge where needed, and to do that in a professional way.
Build a network
Find the right organisation for you and make sure the culture fits. Find people who can help lift you up and support you. It doesn’t have to be formal mentoring, but building a network is really important. I see women in our organisation who I feel should go for promotions, and they haven’t because they doubt themselves. At the same time, I see others going for opportunities much more readily. So confidence is a big part of it.
Surround yourself with people who make you feel good and who support you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice.
Put the human first
There’s a lot of focus on AI at the moment. For us, it’s about making sure that technology genuinely benefits operations and the quality of care.
The human has got to come first, and the technology has to support that. The question is always what difference it makes to people receiving care and to the teams delivering it. There’s potential in areas like prevention and using data more effectively, but we need to be careful not to get caught up in the technology itself without understanding the impact.
Surround yourself with the right people
You don’t do it alone. It’s about having the right people in the right places and having a team you trust. You have to be open and honest about what needs to improve and where you need more strength.
As you grow, you can’t stay connected in the same way, so you need different ways of doing that, through meetings, visits and feedback. I still make a point of spending time with teams, listening and connecting, and making sure what I’m hearing on the ground matches what I’m hearing from senior leaders.
Changing perceptions is key
There’s still a perception that care is low pay, low skill and not a career, and that’s not true. There are incredible careers in social care, across management, operations, HR and more. People just don’t realise that.
There needs to be a much stronger effort, almost like a public health campaign, to show what the sector really offers and why it matters. You can start anywhere and grow. What matters is compassion, resilience and a willingness to keep learning.
