Introduction Successful health care organisations have understood the need to engage with clinicians, with a resulting desire for clinical leaders to emerge and be trained.

Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) The development of sustainability and transformation plans has highlighted the need for clinical leaders to be engaged at every level of each regional plan. The plans are based around a geographical area rather than being focussed on pre-existing organisations, so-called place-based plans. Health care place-based plans need place-based clincal leaders.

Examples of clincial place-based leadership Clinical leaders have existed across boundaries before STPs were developed, for example in Canterbury District Health Board in New Zealand or closer to home in Wales.

Conclusion We discuss the benefits that removing organisation boundaries could have on clinical care, believing that as patients cross organisational boundaries so should their health care and so should clinical leaders.