Welsh NHS Confederation Annual Conference and Exhibition 2024

We know at times this can feel like an intergalactic emergency. But we can move further towards our ambition for a healthier nation by working together. 

This is an example of how the third sector in Wales is an integral part of health and care services, supporting patients, staff and flow. 

So, if you feel your ship has crash landed here by mistake, join us to hear an uplifting update on how Emergency Departments are supported by the British Red Cross, and how that’s just one small part of the story. 

Speakers:

• Kate Griffiths, Director for Wales, British Red Cross
• Katija Dew, Senior Business Development Manager, British Red Cross
• Iain McLaren, Service Manager, British Red Cross
• Sinaed Pollard, Service Manager, British Red Cross

This session is supported by Cymru Versus Arthritis.

Join us for an engaging and informative breakfast workshop where we provide a condensed overview of Versus Arthritis' flagship "Core Skills in MSK Care" education program.  

This session is designed to give an overview of the comprehensive training programmes available, an overview of common MSK Disorders and their impact on population health, how our courses support professional development and service improvement, and interactive case studies to illustrate best practices. 

Speaker:

• John McIntyre, Clinical Lead Physiotherapist, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

This session is supported by Mind Cymru.

The mental health of the nation has been under increasing pressure in recent years, as more and more people seek help and services face challenges to meet this demand. The Welsh Government’s new mental health strategy offers an enormous opportunity for positive change.  

Hear from Mind Cymru and those with lived experience of mental health from across Wales about the state of play and consider what a positive future looks like.    

Session chair:

• Sue O’Leary, Director, Mind Cymru

Speakers:

• Simon Jones, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Mind Cymru
• Caroline Chapman, Executive Manager, Mind in the Vale of Glamorgan

There are over 310,000 unpaid carers in Wales whose care saves over £10.6 billion every year, reducing pressure on health and social care services and providing much needed support to people who need it most.  

This session, run jointly by Carers Wales and Carers Trust Wales, helps you to work smarter, not harder, when engaging with unpaid carers - how to bust myths and build effective relationships with an integral part of the health and social care system. Discuss guidance, explore examples of good practice inside Wales and hear how you can enhance the way you work with unpaid carers at an early stage to support you in reducing service pressures and meeting aims and objectives. 

This session is supported by Amazon Web Services.

Cloud computing has the potential to transform cancer care, as it has transformed other industries. As a healthcare leader how do you start on this cloud journey to a better experience and improved outcomes for cancer patients?  

In this session we will describe an approach to clearly identify strategic goals and innovation opportunities in cancer care. We will look at examples, particularly in the fields of genomics and imaging, where cloud has already made a tangible difference. Finally, we hear from a panel of healthcare and industry leaders on their perspectives for the future of cancer care in Wales. 

When the NHS in Wales and the pharmaceutical industry work together effectively, great things can happen for patients and the system. These partnerships must be open, transparent and have clear goals.  

This session will examine the value of these partnerships, the practicalities of conducting them from both the NHS and industry perspectives and highlight the ingredients for success. 

This session will explore how we use data within NHS Wales and its potential to guide strategic planning and support the prevention and implementation of care in Wales.  

Join us and find out more about the National Data Resource, our data dashboards, and how we can use these programmes to inform future decisions. This session will also look at data governance and patient confidentiality, addressing challenges about data sharing and emphasising the importance of secure practices. 

Speakers:

• Gareth John, Head of Information Delivery, DHCW
• Rebecca Cook, Chief Data Officer, DHCW
• Darren Lloyd, Associate Director of Information Governance & Patient Safety, DHCW

A thriving R&D culture is vital to transform NHS Wales and can be part of the solution by retaining staff and providing innovative and efficient treatments, as well as a vital income stream. 

NHS organisations actively involved in research see improved health outcomes and lower mortality rates. It is part of care – directly providing new treatment options. It is also an essential pillar of securing and maintaining University status, a key enabler in delivering ‘A Healthier Wales’ and crucially underpins the Duty of Quality.  

Health and Care Research Wales is driving to embed research into all aspects of health and care services in NHS Wales and for research to be embraced, integrated, and celebrated as a core part of the organisation’s culture.  

In this session, along with hearing about patients’ experiences of being part of a study, you can explore tangible ways to embed research throughout your organisation. You will also hear different perspectives on how the new national Framework for R&D in the NHS is working in practice by harnessing the influence of Independent Board member champions, specialty leads pioneering cutting-edge research and strategic partnerships across sectors.  

Session chair:

• Dr Nicola Williams, National Director of Support & Delivery at Health and Care Research Wales

Speakers:

• Suzanne Rankin, CEO Research Champion and Chief Executive of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board 
• Carolyn Donoghue, Research Board Champion, Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board
• Dr Leighton Phillips, Director of Research, Innovation, and University Partnerships, Hywel Dda University Health Board 
• Professor Dean Harris, Colorectal surgeon, Swansea Bay University Health Board 

Over half of the Welsh Government’s budget is spent on health, yet levels of preventable illness and health inequalities remain high as our services firefight current demand. Those living in deprived areas still have a lower life expectancy on average, with the gap for men being 7.6 years and women 6.3 years. Over recent years the gap has been increasing for both men and women, suggesting growing inequality.  

In this session there will be an interactive discussion on how we can work together to shift the focus from simply treating illness to focusing on the long term: promoting health and wellbeing and ensuring greater emphasis on prevention and early intervention. There is consensus that this is where we need to be as a nation, but how do we tackle short-termism and other barriers to getting there?  

The session will ask the audience to share their ideas around how we can move from an ill health service to a health service. 

The dialogue about ‘access’ is often reduced to the frustration of waiting on a call to book a GP appointment.  

Led by experienced and innovative clinicians, this session explores how we require whole system change to enable sustainable general practice and to maximise the benefits of an integrated system.  

Using examples of local responses to increasing demand and the impact these are delivering we will discuss how we can work with our communities to more effectively share progress and improve user experience.  

Like all public sector bodies, the NHS in Wales faces increasing financial pressures, with demand for services at an all-time high.  

Achieving finance sustainability while meeting patients’ needs and maintaining high-quality care is more difficult than ever. It’s critical we find innovative solutions that balance efficiency, equity and person-centred care.  

This session aims to explore the role of all health and care partners in future-proofing the healthcare system and the health of the nation. We will discuss the importance of setting unified priorities across the public sector in Wales to ensure every region can meet growing demand.  

“People demand innovation: something no one has done before. But they also want to know for sure it will work. Which of course makes no sense at all.” Ken Burnett  

There is plenty of research on creating an environment for innovation, as well as the most common barriers to innovation.  

This session will encourage cross-sector discussions on how leaders provide an inherent ‘permission’ to apply innovation and transformative change, how we use valuable insight from partners and area experts, and crucially, how we move from innovation and pilots to adopt and spread.  

After all, without innovation, how do we tackle the challenges of tomorrow?  

The third sector comes in a variety of institutional forms, spanning virtually every facet of health and wellbeing. From community organisations, self-help groups, to faith-based organisations, social enterprises, charities and more, third sector organisations are united by a common purpose: to address the needs of local communities, particularly those who face disadvantage within society.  

Whilst there is agreement that they improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities, there is less consensus as to how the public sector should engage with them.  

This session will explore how the third sector can support more integrated care for people and populations and how we overcome the challenges to better collaboration.  

Come and share your views on how we can respond to these challenges and make partnership working between sectors everyday practice.