Morning, Monday, 27th April 2026
Online
This conference will consider next steps for the 10 Year Health Plan and wider reform to the NHS.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss priorities and practicalities for implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan. Areas for discussion include workforce planning for future service models, leadership capacity, approaches to sharing good practice, and future direction of integrated care systems as strategic commissioning evolves.
Strategic direction
Sessions also consider strategic and operational requirements to optimise efficiency. The potential impact of changes to system structures will be discussed, looking at how resources can be redirected to frontline care while sustaining local capability. There will be a focus on timescales and resourcing, assessing the Medium Term Planning Framework and priorities for the refreshed workforce plan, following the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation in September 2025.
Prevention of ill health
Delegates will examine ways forward for moving towards a preventative healthcare system, with concerns from some stakeholders about the degree of emphasis in the Plan on public health. Consideration will be given to funding, collaboration frameworks, and how best to address health inequalities, as well as requirements for supporting services shaped by local need.
Opportunities to strengthen the use of digital tools and data for prediction, prevention and healthcare access will be examined, as well as emerging approaches to expanding functions in the NHS App and supporting patient engagement.
Local delivery
The agenda will also look at broader strategic issues around developing neighbourhood health centres and moving care closer to home. The emerging framework for local system delivery will be examined, drawing on early insights from rollout, as well as assessing the role of new public-private partnerships, announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget.
Oversight
Requirements for maintaining resilience and ensuring patient safety as structural changes progress will be a focus, including new approaches, such as the Government’s recent announcement of plans for greater autonomy for high‑performing NHS trusts.
Discussion will also consider oversight and accountability arrangements as NHS England functions transition to the Department of Health and Social Care, alongside the direction of reform in adult social care and its relationship with health services.
Overview of areas for discussion:
- policy priorities:
- clarity on aims for the 10 Year Health Plan - expectations for funding and planning - alignment between reform objectives and system capacity - approaches for co‑design with patients
- strategic oversight:
- responsibilities across DHSC, integrated care systems and local organisations - development of commissioning models - accountability and metrics - ensuring patient safety during change
- finance, funding and resources:
- resolving tensions between cost reductions, productivity and efficiency, and outcomes - support for providers managing transition alongside elective and urgent care pressures
- neighbourhood delivery:
- practical requirements for local service models - estates and staffing implications - experience from early rollout
- addressing siloed working - VCSE sector involvement - assessing the role of public-private partnerships
- public health:
- support for preventative approaches - health services and local government collaboration - designing services around local need
- use of digital tools and data to support prediction and early intervention - addressing social determinants
- digital systems:
- investment announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget - interoperability and its impact on safety and delivery - expansion of NHS App functions and their role in access
- adult social care:
- assessing funding for reform - workforce support needed to reduce hospital reliance - integration across health and local authority services to sustain neighbourhood care
- workforce planning:
- distribution across settings - recruitment and retention - pipeline for clinical and managerial leadership - impacts of organisational changes - clarity on implementation plans
