TO BE PUBLISHED May 2026
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This conference will consider priorities and practicalities for implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan and delivery of wider reform to the NHS.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss key issues including workforce planning for future service models, leadership capacity, approaches to sharing effective practice, and the future direction of integrated care systems as strategic commissioning evolves.
Strategic direction
Attendees will consider operational requirements for optimising efficiency, including roles and responsibilities across the Department of Health and Social Care, integrated care systems and local organisations. The potential impact of changes to system structures will be explored, looking at how resources can be redirected towards frontline care while maintaining local capability and patient safety. There will be a focus on timescales and resourcing, including consideration of the Medium Term Planning Framework and approaches to managing cost pressures alongside productivity, efficiency, and outcomes.
Workforce
Priorities for the refreshed workforce plan will also be considered, following the DHSC’s consultation in September 2025. Sessions will assess approaches to supporting providers in managing the transition alongside elective and urgent care pressures, with discussion on recruitment and retention strategies, training capacity, ICS development, leadership pipelines for clinical and managerial roles, and accountability mechanisms.
Oversight & leadership
Maintaining system resilience and patient safety during structural change will be a key focus, including discussion on new approaches, such as the Government’s recent announcement of plans for greater autonomy for high‑performing NHS trusts. Roles and responsibilities between DHSC, NHS England, ICSs and providers, will be discussed, as well as differing perspectives on implications of recent changes to managerial regulation and their impact on organisational culture and transparency.
In discussing workforce issues, leadership development will be considered, alongside strategies for supporting and managing the transition to neighbourhood-based care and expanded use of digital tools. Sessions will explore potential risks and mitigations associated with service redesign, skills mix, and investment decisions.
Funding and oversight arrangements for adult social care will also be discussed, including its role in supporting neighbourhood care and reducing reliance on hospital services. Sessions will consider workforce requirements and priorities for integration between health and local authority services. The conference will also examine oversight and accountability arrangements as NHS England functions transition to the Department of Health and Social Care, alongside the wider direction of reform in adult social care and its relationship with health services.
Prevention of ill health
Delegates will assess approaches for moving towards a preventative healthcare system, with concerns from some stakeholders about the degree of emphasis in the Plan on public health.
Examining whether public health, local government and community services have the resources and powers for effective delivery, areas for discussion include strategic options for integrating healthy ageing and physical activity into the Plan’s delivery, alongside enabling effective cross-sector partnerships to address inequalities driven by social determinants of health. Consideration will also be given to funding models and sustainability, collaboration and governance frameworks, and service design tailored to local needs.
Next steps for scaling diagnostics and personalisation into routine care will be discussed, considering stakeholder perspectives on trust, reliability, and human oversight in advanced diagnostics, such as AI-enabled tools. Equity and access will also be examined, including challenges around scaling costs, data fragmentation, and diagnostic delays in routine care.
Sessions will also explore opportunities to strengthen the use of digital tools and data for prediction, prevention, and access to care, including approaches to expanding functions in the NHS App and supporting patient engagement. Stakeholder concerns around timelines, costs, and practical challenges associated with progressing towards a single patient record will be discussed, including issues of interoperability and implications for access and efficiency.
Local delivery
The agenda includes discussion on broader strategic issues related to the development of neighbourhood health centres and the delivery of care closer to home, including estates, workforce requirements, and long-term sustainability. The emerging framework for local system delivery will be examined, drawing on early insights from rollout. Sessions will also consider the role of new public-private partnerships announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget, including lessons from previous models and factors affecting value for money and long-term resilience.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Care Quality Commission; Department for Health and Social Care; Department for Business and Trade; Department for Education; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Food Standards Agency; Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office; Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; HM Prison and Probation Service; UK Health Security Agency; British Embassy Berne; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
