Team days with real impact – well designed away days designed for better collaboration
“Helpful facilitation to allow us space to explore some concepts around how we work as a team and ways to optimise this moving forwards” PCN leadership team member August 2025
Are you embedding a new team in the emerging structure? Is it time to address morale and refocus? Or perhaps you’re a team that isn’t changing but needs to adapt to an environment is shifting and would benefit from time together. Or you might simply benefit from space to look at how to work better together.
Even when times are steady and stable, teams benefit from time ‘out’ to think, talk and plan in a well-organised, facilitated safe space.
Some conversations are relatively easy to have on the hoof or in regular meetings but some need preparation and thought particularly for instance if there are decisions to make, if there are challenging relationships or if new ways of working need planning and socialising. And many of these conversations are better managed in a comfortable and safe environment so that people relax, feel truly able to contribute and be heard and can take away real learning and actions
PCC has many years of experience of successfully facilitating happy and meaningful all- staff and whole team away days. We have supported NHS England teams, PCN’s, Public Health Wales and provider organisations in small and larger groups, to work through issues and strengthen relationships
Some sessions are commissioned to build the team, for instance focussing on how to work together, on team values or simply getting to know one another. Others have distinct purpose such as agreeing terms of reference or working through a thorny issue.
Our facilitators are qualified and experienced coaches, skilled at managing the room, remaining crucially neutral, offering the conversation guidance and the group support to come to positive agreed outcomes. We can face challenges and are always focussed on solutions. Facilitated away days can be a pleasant experience and simultaneously be the place where real change happens through honest conversations and action planning.
We can design a facilitated team away day to suit your needs. We’ll listen to understand the brief and work with you to plan a session that gets people together and agree the desired outcomes. The day might include mapping an action plan, facilitating a decision, large and smaller group discussions or focussed and creative team-building activities. In addition, if required, our events team can manage all the practical arrangements such as venue, refreshments and communications.
Some examples of our work include: a vision and values session for an ambulance service board; a session looking at getting to know the team’s strengths and understanding roles for a PCN leadership team and a Myers Briggs (MBTI) session supporting getting to know one another for practices across a PCN. We’re currently planning an away day for an ICB primary care team to look at new ways of working.
We also provide sessions to support teams to thrive through change.
Now more than ever, when things might still feel uncertain, we can support you and your teams to find a way through and work even more effectively together. Please contact helen.ellis@pcc.nhs.uk to talk about your next away day.
Tips for your team away day
This short article includes top tips for planning a successful team away day, from announcing the day to the team, to agreeing the focus and ensuring your day goes to plan. Contact helen.ellis@pcc.nhs.uk to discuss your team away day ideas.
