In December 2007, the Health Foundation commissioned ORCNi Ltd to undertake an in-depth evaluation of the Health Foundation’s leadership programmes, including an exploration of the links between leadership and quality improvement (QI). This report presents a detailed account of the two-year study and the conclusions that emerged. It contains insights into how leadership development can support QI in the NHS. In addition, the findings contribute to what is known about the links between leadership and improvement in the NHS, and provide new ways of understanding the nature of this improvement work. (The Health Foundation - publications)