Facing up to the challenges of the practice development unit: a leader's perspective

The Orthopaedic Unit at the Calderdale Royal Hospital began its journey to become a Practice Development Unit (PDU) in October 2003. The Unit has currently achieved Stage 1 accreditation and are presently striving to achieve full accreditation. One of the important factors required in a successful PDU is having effective leadership that is able to both motivate the team and achieve the desired results. This article is a reflective piece examining the problems and obstacles that were encountered by the two leaders of the PDU on their journey to be a fully accredited unit. These problems included lack of team ownership, lack of devolved leadership and lack of time. The article also sets out ways in which these problems have been overcome, and gives the reader practical tips on things to take into account before becoming a leader of a PDU. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons Ltd