NHS Reform: An Opportunity for Workforce Engagement
Jun 4
4 min read
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The Talent for Care team is heading to the NHS Confed Expo, Manchester on the 11th and 12th of June, optimistic we'll gain greater context, clarity, and insight into what the announced reforms of the NHS really mean beyond the headlines for the care workforce. With over 500 speakers presenting a packed programme of expert perspectives on all the main issues, we're highlighting the workforce related sessions that pique our interest.
First off, gaining context. With the pending ten-year reform plan due imminently, hearing from some of its key protagonists is the closest we can get to clarity.
Essential starting points:
the panel discussion: The ten-year health plan: making the vision a reality,
featuring Dr Penny Dash and Sally Warren
the Confed Expo keynote speech of Sir James Mackey
In addition, the following will all provide key insights of the planned hospital to community, from analogue to digital and from sickness to prevention proposals...
The future of primary care: in conversation with Dr Amanda Doyle and Dr Claire Fuller
Leadership in a time of neighbourhood health featuring
Samantha Allen (Chief Executive (NENC ICB) & National Director for Management and Leadership (NHSE), North East & North Cumbria ICB & NHS England),
Matthew Trainer, Chief Executive - Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer - NHS England
As innovative workforce experiential learning program partners of cancer and mental health alliances, we’re excited to see sessions on how specific specialism colleagues are reducing elective waiting times and improving patient care through more effective collaboration and adopting novel use of technologies.
This session showcasing case studies: Work smarter not harder: cancer care pathway mapping to drive more effective service redesign
The Clatterbridge Centre, and The Christie and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust case study illustrates how identifying pathways and team mindset shifts has led to greater efficiencies and impacts in a breast care service. Whilst a future vision for revolutionising cancer treatment by harnessing digital & AI, early intervention and using precision diagnostics is promised in the following session:
Cancer: Project Zero – enabling a world-leading National Cancer Plan
led by the Greater Manchester cancer alliance
Considering mental health perspectives, the following session highlights the benefits of the Dementia UK Admiral Nurses transitions of care model:
Whilst the following interactive session examines the need for a more multi-disciplinary team approach to effectively manage patients in crisis:
With a prominent AI and digital tech agenda at Confed Expo, it’s reassuring to see an equal emphasis on the importance of harnessing human behaviours, creating inclusive, agile cultures, teamwork, wellbeing and career development. These remain essential for workforces to adapt and thrive, especially as organisations undergo change. Sessions touching upon this include:
Join the NHS kindness revolution to save suffering, lives and money
with speakers from A Kind Life, NHS Providers, Oxford University Hospitals FT and the Healthcare People Management Association.
The importance of staff needing to overcoming morale erosion to improve performance and productivity is also explored in the Health Foundation Q team workshop on:
Several sessions highlight how fostering an optimal environment for being an authentic leader can drive sustainable workforce changes in various ways and at all NHS staff levels. Providing the space for aspiring early leadership qualities to develop, is a regular feature in many of our program designs: from those for non-registered workers and internationally recruited professionals, to specialist nurses, clinical leads and whole teams or MDT transformations.
The Leading Differently podcast explores how leaders can thrive amid change by developing adaptable, flexible leadership skills supported by continuous learning, whilst the following session, supported by NHS Charities Together, emphasizes how compassionate leadership, cultural transformation, and enabling learning opportunities can lead to lasting performance improvements:
Extending this thread of discussion, the following session on Thursday looks at how primary and secondary care teams can work closer together to reduce reactive and emergency care demands of patients:
While this session on peer networks emphasises how different peer-to-peer engagement modes can be an enabler for success.
These are just a few of the workforce highlights that piqued our attention, in what will be a fascinating event to soak up the overall direction of travel for healthcare and the NHS. With such a rich agenda to explore, 5,000 stakeholders accountable for making reform a reality, we have a great opportunity to arrive home with a greater sense of knowledge and insight.
Time will tell how that renewed sense of purpose and energy can convert Manchester's learning experiences into transformative, sustainable, behavioural changes in themselves and their teams.
If you are a current or potential new partner interested in how experiential learning solutions can support your organisation’s specific workforce challenges, we’d love to hear your thoughts during or after Confed Expo 2025. To do so, please reach out to Alessandro Alagna or Nik Screen via the event app to briefly meet and chat in Manchester, or via LinkedIn and email to set up a post-event Teams call.
Connect with Alessandro on LinkedIn
Email:
alessandro.alagna@talentforcare.uk
