Welcome to the final issue of the Journal for 2021

Abstract

It has been another extraordinary year for the health system and its leaders across the globe as the pandemic wrought unplanned and unplotted transformation. It seems apparent that the pace of change is with us to stay and casting forward in 2022, we can expect more challenges as we grapple with some of the unknowns of living with Covid.

As health leaders, managers and executives, we are extremely aware that we step forward to “living with COVID” with an exhausted workforce, a potential tsunami of demand on our own mental health care capabilities, and indeed the demand from all those previously usual activities that have been left untended in the past two years. It is in these times that we must lead with compassion – the need for empathic, caring leadership has never been greater. I hope, too, that we understand that we are not alone and that it is the support of our peers that will make this journey forward a little bit easier.