Morning, Tuesday, 2nd March 2027
Online
This conference will examine next steps for prevention in England's health and social care system. Discussion will focus on the NHS's planned shift from sickness to prevention, early progress in implementing this policy and the practical requirements for changing services and ways of working. Planned areas for discussion include national prevention priorities and personalised approaches, innovation and digital technologies, neighbourhood health and local delivery, commissioning and funding, workforce capacity, and inequalities and outcomes.
Policy context, system reform & local delivery
The conference will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to consider the implementation of prevention policy in the context of the 10 Year Health Plan and the Neighbourhood Health Framework. Delegates will examine early experience of implementation during 2026/27, including preparations for neighbourhood health plans from 2027/28, and priorities for coordinating work across NHS services, local authorities and other partners.
The planned agenda will consider approaches to aligning prevention priorities with the wider shift towards community-based care, including the contribution of technology and more effective use of health data. Sessions will also examine proposals in the Health Bill currently progressing through Parliament, to abolish NHS England, reform national oversight and ICB governance, and introduce arrangements for the Single Patient Record and information sharing. Discussion will consider the implications for strategic commissioning, accountability and local decision-making, including how national expectations can be applied to differing population needs.
Personalised prevention, digital innovation & safeguards
Practical priorities for prevention and earlier intervention will be assessed, including vaccination, screening and earlier diagnosis, alongside proactive management of long-term conditions. Delegates will also discuss the use of genomics and personalised medicines, and developments in AI-enabled risk assessment, remote monitoring and digital and behavioural interventions.
Attendees will consider the potential contribution of the NHS App and proposed Single Patient Record to prevention, care coordination and self-management, alongside questions about data access, confidentiality, clinical oversight and public trust. The evidence needed to evaluate and adopt innovations will be discussed, along with routes to procurement and wider use, and the data infrastructure and workforce capability required for implementation.
Sessions will examine clinical safety, informed consent and equitable access, including digital exclusion, health literacy and the potential for bias in data-driven approaches.
Neighbourhood delivery, commissioning & funding
The planned agenda will also examine the delivery of prevention through neighbourhood health services, including integrated teams and coordination across primary and community care, public health, social care, community pharmacy and voluntary and community partners. Discussion is expected on commissioning and payment models, pooled budgets, and how effective innovations can be funded alongside community-based provision, as well as the practicalities of shifting resources while acute demand remains high and transition costs persist.
Workforce, value & outcomes
Workforce capacity and skills will be considered across health, social care and public health, including the expertise needed for preventative services, multidisciplinary working and the adoption of new technologies. The agenda will also look at estates and infrastructure requirements, and the involvement of communities in service planning and delivery.
Further sessions will examine approaches to measuring outcomes and demonstrating the value of preventative investment over different timescales, including the effects on health inequalities, employment and demand for wider public services. Attendees will also consider how longer-term benefits can be assessed and reflected in commissioning and resource decisions within shorter planning and spending cycles.
Overview of areas for discussion
- prevention priorities, risk factors & personalised approaches:
- tobacco, obesity and other leading risk factors - implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 - access to weight-management services and GLP-1 medicines
- vaccination, screening, earlier diagnosis and proactive management of cardiovascular, metabolic and other long-term health risks
- genomics, diagnostics and personalised medicines - evidence for targeting interventions according to population needs and levels of risk
- innovation, digital infrastructure & population health management:
- population health data, AI-enabled risk assessment and predictive analytics for targeted prevention
- the NHS App, the proposed Single Patient Record, remote monitoring and digital therapeutics - interoperability, data quality, information governance and appropriate data access
- evaluating, procuring and adopting innovations at scale - clinical safety, consent and public confidence - algorithmic bias, health literacy and digital exclusion
- neighbourhood delivery, partnership & workforce:
- neighbourhood planning and local priorities - prevention within multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams - workforce skills, capacity and operating models
- coordination across primary and community care, public health, social care, community pharmacy, local authorities and voluntary and community partners
- neighbourhood estates and infrastructure - community involvement in service design - lessons from early implementation and adaptation to local needs
- commissioning, funding & resource allocation:
- single and multi-neighbourhood provider contracts and integrated health organisation models - population and outcomes-based payment approaches
- pooled budgets and Better Care Fund reform - funding innovation alongside community-based provision
- shifting resources towards prevention while maintaining acute services - transition and double-running costs
- demonstrating value and longer-term returns - funding preventative investment within shorter planning and spending cycles
- inequalities, wider determinants, measurement & accountability:
- targeting prevention by population need without creating barriers or stigma - reducing geographical and socioeconomic variation in access and outcomes
- links between health, employment and economic inactivity - addressing wider determinants through local and cross-government partnership
- outcome measures for innovation-enabled and community-based prevention - assessing and attributing benefits across health, care and other public services
- national oversight, local accountability and performance expectations through the medium-term planning period and beyond
