16th NHS Workforce Conference: Building Sustainable NHS Teams

Workforce & Care Integration

08:30 am
06 May, 2025
etc venues Manchester, 8th Floor, 11 Portland Street M1 3HU

16th NHS Workforce Conference: Building Sustainable NHS Teams

Workforce & Care Integration

08:30 am
06 May, 2025
etc venues Manchester, 8th Floor, 11 Portland Street M1 3HU

Job titles includes

Head of Apprenticeships  Training and Engagement

Client Services Area Manager

Head of Public Health Nursing

Workforce and Education Manager

Head of Workforce Transformation

Interim Head of Operations

Diagnostics Workforce Programme Manager

200
Delegates Registered

Organisations Involved

NHS Arden and GEM CSU

NHS Professionals

Croydon NHS Trust

Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Public Health Wales

NHSE

Current Landscape and Challenges:

The NHS workforce has experienced substantial growth in response to the evolving needs of the population, yet persistent vacancies totalling over 112,000 pose significant challenges.

As the NHS strives to implement its Long-Term Workforce Plan, addressing the staffing shortfall and improving patient care remain key challenges. Collaboration between NHS England, Health Education England, and NHS Digital has become pivotal in equipping the NHS to undertake this transformative plan, enhancing its ability to provide sustainable and effective healthcare.

Importance and Timeliness of the Event:

The Healthcare Workforce Conference North serves as a crucial platform for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders to strategise and confront the challenges associated with the Long-Term Workforce Plan. By fostering collaboration, innovative thinking, and knowledge-sharing, the conference aims to fortify the NHS workforce, ensuring improved patient care and sustainable staffing solutions.

Key Content Streams:

  • Long-term Workforce Plan Action: A comprehensive review of the strategic direction and actionable steps at the local, regional, and national levels, emphasizing the imperative of training, retention, and reform within the workforce.
  • Workforce Sustainability: Exploring strategies to enhance workforce sustainability by fostering a conducive culture, enhancing retention, revamping training approaches, and maximising productivity.
  • Evolving Challenges and Opportunities: Analyzing how the NHS can proactively adapt to the evolving challenges and leverage emerging opportunities, ensuring its readiness to meet the future demands of healthcare.
  • Education and Training Expansion: Delving into action plans aimed at boosting the NHS workforce through expanded education and training initiatives, including scaling up medical school places, augmenting GP speciality training, enhancing nursing training programs, and increasing apprenticeships.

Why Attend:

The Healthcare Workforce Conference North offers a pivotal opportunity for participants to contribute to the advancement of the healthcare industry and the NHS.

This conference serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to collaborate in crafting a sustainable and robust workforce, ultimately leading to enhanced patient care and the achievement of long-term healthcare goals.

Register now to be a part of this transformative journey and contribute to building a better future for healthcare and the NHS workforce.

Who will Attend

  • Chairs
  • Chief Executives
  • Chief Nurses/Directors of Nursing
  • Clinical Commissioning Group Members
  • Clinical Directors/Leaders
  • Commercial Directors/Managers
  • Contracts Directors/Managers
  • Director/Heads of Workforce and HR
  • Director/Heads of Operations
  • Directors /Heads of Finance
  • Directors/Heads of Commissioning/Procurement
  • Directors/Heads of Efficiency and Productivity
  • Directors/Heads of Organisational Development
  • Directors/Heads of Patient Engagement
  • Directors/Heads of Policy
  • Directors/Heads of Service Transformation
  • Directors/Heads of Staff Engagement/Training/HR
  • Directors/Heads of Strategy and Transformation
  • Estates and Facilities Directors/Managers
  • Finance Directors
  • Head of Commissioning Support Units
  • Improvement Programme Managers/Directors
  • NHS Trust Directors and Senior Managers
  • Operations/Performance Directors
  • Pharmacy Directors and Heads of Medicines Management
  • Service Improvement Directors

The programme

08:30

Registration & Networking

Registration - Open from 8:30 am - Closes at 11:00 am

All delegates must complete their registration process before the 11:00 AM cut-off time. Please arrive in a timely manner to allow for registration and to avoid any inconvenience. Delegates who arrive after the registration deadline will be refused entry to the event.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain the event's schedule and ensuring that everyone can fully participate in the Conference. If you have any questions or require assistance, our event staff will be available to assist you with the registration process.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to an insightful and productive event together!

09:30

Chair Opening Address (Confirmed)

Mr Chris Sleight MSc BSc FIBMS
Chief Officer
Greater Manchester Diagnostics Network

Chair Opening Address (Confirmed)

09:40

Keynote Presentation - Opportunities and Challenges for the NHS Scotland Workforce (Confirmed)

Fiona Hogg
Chief People Officer
NHS Scotland

An opportunity to find out more about the current and future people agenda in NHS Scotland, as we embark on a critical journey of transformation and reform of our services and population health, against a backdrop of financial, political and workforce constraints, whilst ensuring that colleague experience, wellbeing and culture are prioritised.

10:00

Navigating International Recruitment Panel Discussion

Fiona Hogg
Chief People Officer
NHS Scotland
Michelle Howard, MBA, DipM, BA (Hons), NPQH, CMktr.
Director
Michelle Howard Consulting Ltd
Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson CBE
Former Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
Efua Hagan
Nursing Workforce & International Recruitment Lead
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Lee Aranton
Head of Service for Internationally Educated Nurses
Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust

Join us for an insightful panel discussion as we explore the role of international recruitment in addressing staffing challenges within the NHS. Our panelists will share their perspectives on the impact of recruiting from overseas, particularly within the nursing workforce, and the crucial steps being taken to ensure sustainable and ethical recruitment practices. Discover the ongoing efforts to strengthen the NHS workforce through global talent while maintaining high standards of fairness and integrity.

Panellists:

  • Facilitator: Michelle Howard, Director, Michelle Howard Consulting Ltd (Confirmed)
  • Lee Aranton, Head of Service for Internationally Educated Nurses, Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust (Confirmed)
  • Fiona Hogg, Chief People Officer, NHS Scotland (Confirmed)
  • Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson CBE, Former Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Confirmed)
  • Efua Hagan, Nursing Workforce & International Recruitment Lead, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust (Confirmed)

10:50

Morning Break

Morning Break

11:50

Chair Morning Reflection (Confirmed)

Mr Chris Sleight MSc BSc FIBMS
Chief Officer
Greater Manchester Diagnostics Network

Chair Morning Reflection (Confirmed)

11:55

Case Study - NHS Workforce Alliance

Joanne Barton
Senior Category Manager & North East & Yorkshire Regional Lead
NHS Workforce Alliance

Case Study - NHS Workforce Alliance

Joanne Barton, Associate Director of Procurement from the NHS Workforce Alliance North East & Yorkshire regional team, will share insights on targeted interventions that healthcare leaders can implement to help tackle current NHS workforce challenges. Jo will share strategies that have a proven track record of enhancing value, boosting productivity, and improving efficiency.

12:15

Case Study - Collaborative Solutions for NHS Workforce Gaps: The Development of a Biomedical Scientist Degree Apprenticeship

Dr Nadia Koloteva-Levine
Lecturer in Applied Biosciences
University of Kent

Case Study - University of Kent

The NHS faces ongoing challenges in addressing workforce shortages within biomedical science, a critical sector underpinning diagnostic, patient care, and service innovation. This presentation explores how the University of Kent, in partnership with employers and professional bodies, has developed a flexible, responsive Level 6 Biomedical Scientist Degree Apprenticeship to meet these demands.

12:35

Fireside Chat - Staff Networks & LGBTQ+ Inclusion Fire Pit (Confirmed)

Graham Rimmer
Business Manager and Chair of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Paul Nethercott
Community Partnership Manager
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Staff Networks & LGBTQ+ Inclusion Fire Pit

12:55

Are your staff on mute?

Dr Simon Mac Rory
CEO
The Guardian Service

Case Study - The Guardian Service

 
Through independent and confidential listening for staff and organisations, we will guide you on how we have enabled workforce and culture transformation via the raising of concerns and ideas. We will demonstrate how turning listening into opportunities for learning, development and improvement not only contribute to staff retention but provides a robust dialogue model for all staff.

13:15

Lunch & Networking

Lunch & Networking

14:00

Chair Afternoon Reflection (Confirmed)

Chair Afternoon Reflection (Confirmed)

14:05

Keynote Presentation - Developing a multi-professional enhanced, advanced and consultant level practice workforce model (Confirmed)

Ian Setchfield
Associate Director-Workforce Development and Education for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

The presentation discusses the factors to consider with which to ensure a robust governance process and strategic approach to the development of the multi-professional enhanced, advanced and consultant level practice workforce model.

14:25

Presentation - What you need to know about Generations to plan your Sustainable Workforce (Confirmed)

Mr Chris Sleight MSc BSc FIBMS
Chief Officer
Greater Manchester Diagnostics Network

Since the millennium the world population has increased by 33%. WHO predict this growth will continue for the next 80 years. By 2100 average life expectancy in the UK is predicted to increase to over 90 years of age.

The healthcare needs of the UK population are already increasing with an increasing percentage of over sixty-fives, whilst the percentage of the population at an employable age is reducing. Demand on Health Services will continue at a rapid rate.

Chris has previously delivered an extremely well received presentation asking whether Generations Z and Alpha were the answer to our workforce crisis. Returning this year by popular demand, Chris will build on previous thoughts and share further recent research, providing insights into a workforce which now comprises 5 different generational stereotypes with different aspirations and beliefs.

Chris will revisit and update on the stereotypes of Generation Z and Alpha as we create a better understanding around their employment and career needs, and ask how we create a workforce with the skills, incentives, capacity and capability of sustaining and providing high quality Imaging services to an increasing population.

14:45

Keynote Presentation - Staffing Smarter, Caring Better: Benchmarking with Purpose (Confirmed)

Jennifer Cooke
Senior Project Manager
The NHS Benchmarking Network

This presentation introduces the NHS Benchmarking Workforce Programme—an essential resource for healthcare organisations aiming to build and maintain a workforce that is fit for the future. The session will explore how the programme adds valuable insight through benchmarking to develop a workforce with the right size, skills, and distribution to meet evolving population health needs.

15:15

Occupational Health in the Workforce Panel Discussion

Dr Shriti Pattani
National Clinical Expert Occupational Health and Wellbeing, NHSE Clinical Director, Occupational Health and Wellbeing
NHS England
Fiona Hogg
Chief People Officer
NHS Scotland
Michelle Howard, MBA, DipM, BA (Hons), NPQH, CMktr.
Director
Michelle Howard Consulting Ltd
Dr Helen Garr
Medical Director
Practitioner Health

Looking into the growth of NHS Occupational Health and Wellbeing (OHWB), the NHS strategic roadmap will grow and improve the occupational and wellbeing services, and NHS’s multi-professional workforce, and increase the impact it has in the coming years. Improving the well-being of the healthcare workforce will lead to improved patient care.

A look into the 4 key themes and how they outline the future the NHS want to create and act as long-term success measures for the strategy. The 4 key themes are:

  1. Growing in the strategic identity of OHWB
  2. Growing OHWB services across systems
  3. Growing our OHWB people (i.e. workforce)
  4. Growing OHWB impact and evidence-based practice
 

Panellists:

  • Facilitator: Michelle Howard, Director, Michelle Howard Consulting Ltd (Confirmed)
  • Dr Shriti Pattani, National Clinical Expert in Occupational Health and Wellbeing, NHS England (Confirmed)
  • Dr Helen Garr, Medical Director, Practitioner Health (Confirmed)
  • Fiona Hogg, Chief People Officer, NHS Scotland (Confirmed)

15:45

Hot Buffet Food, Drinks and Networking

Hot Buffet Food, Drinks and Networking

17:00

End of Day

End of Day

Convenzisvents

Your Pass Includes....

  • Access to a leading conference speaker programme
  • Interactive Q&A sessions
  • Fireside interviews
  • Cross-sector best practice
  • Meet the supplier opportunities
  • Hot breakfast & Lunch included
  • Access to post event drinks reception and Street food

Tickets For NHS Senior Managers

We have an invite only option for NHS Senior Managers for our conference, to see if you qualify for a complimentary place please click the button below.

Register your place

Book tickets

Ticket
Price
Quantity
Charity, Not for Profit and University (In-Person)
£203.99 excl VAT
Limited places
0
Private Sector (In-Person)
£500.00 excl VAT
Limited places
0
Free NHS Ticket
£0.00 No VAT
Limited places
0

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