Conference

All of the people, all of the time: Anti-racism in leadership conference 2026

Name: All of the people, all of the time: Anti-racism in leadership conference 2026
Start: 2026-04-28
End: 2026-04-28

At the NHS Confederation, our mission is to equip leaders at every level with the insight, confidence and community needed to improve care for all.

Book your place here

General information

Time: 28 April 2026 09:30 - 17:00 GMT
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Audience: Open to all
Cost: £149 +VAT
Event location: Leeds, West Yorkshire

Speakers

Lord Victor Adebowale CBE
Chair NHS Confederation
Professor Dame Donna Kinnair DBE
Chair, The Runnymede Trust
Richard Stubbs
Chief Executive, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber and Chair, Health Innovation Network
Joan Saddler OBE
Director of Partnerships and Equality, NHS Confederation
Edna Boampong
Director of Communications and Engagement, Liverpool City Council
Professor Jagtar Singh OBE
Co-Chair of APNA

We invite you to join us in Leeds on 28 April 2026 for our flagship conference, delivered in partnership with the BME Leadership Network, dedicated to tackling racial inequalities across health and care.

Inspired by the philosophy of our chair, Lord Victor Adebowale, that the best care is delivered when organisations work to lead ‘all of the people, all of the time’, this conference takes its lead, not just from Victor’s expertise, but from the rich evidence and experiences drawn from our ongoing engagement with leaders from across the system.

Racial inequality continues to shape access, experience and outcomes for our NHS workforce, patients and the communities they support. While progress is being made, the work is far from complete. A leadership that adopts Anti-racism—an evidence based, outcomes driven approach—is already helping organisations address historic bias, improve services and deliver fairer outcomes. Now we must accelerate that progress.

This conference brings together leaders from across the system committed to going further, faster. We invite leaders to hear from those driving meaningful change across the system, in a space designed for learning, honest discussion and peer support. Whether you are beginning this journey or advancing established work, this event aims to meet leaders where they are and support them to take the next step on their journey. Our ambition is centred on taking action on tackling racial inequality, challenging the barriers to transformation, improving services for all and delivering health equity.

Session content will include:

Leading through uncertainty and flourishing.
Growing peer support and networks for health equity.
Embedding anti-racism within governance frameworks
Managing conflicting beliefs in the workplace
Harnessing Anti-racism as a tool for service improvement and commissioning.

Together, we will amplify what is working, confront the barriers that remain, and strengthen the NHS’s role as a national leader in tackling racism and delivering exemplary care.

Who should attend

This event is designed for NHS leaders with strategic or operational responsibility—including board level leaders, commissioners, non-executive directors, service design leads and workforce leaders. We also welcome clinicians, patient advocates and those with lived experience who are working to challenge inequality across the health and social care system.

Secure your place today and be part of the collective effort to build an NHS where equity is embedded, outcomes are fair, and every individual receives the care they deserve.

Cost:

The price to attend this event is £149 + VAT.

Registration is now open – book your place today.

Programme

9:30-10:00am	Registration and networking
10.00 - 10.10am	Welcome and introduction - Leading with Purpose and Courage: Making all of the people matter, all of the time Joan Saddler OBE, Director of Partnerships and Equality, NHS Confederation This opening session will set the ambition for the day, encouraging leaders to move beyond discussion and focus on consolidating progress while driving meaningful change. It will underline the leadership behaviours required to deliver consistent, system‑wide anti‑racist impact. Joan Saddler will welcome delegates, outline the purpose of the conference, and reflect on the role of leaders in embedding equity across the emerging health and care system — shaping organisational priorities, informing clinical strategies, and influencing everyday decision‑making.
10.10 - 10.40	Keynote: ‘Thriving through uncertainty: taking everyone with us' Drawing on a lifetime of experience and very senior‑level insight, this keynote will explore the journey of a leader who has succeeded in forging change, building trust and accountability. A leader who during periods of system transformation and uncertainty has created opportunity for others to flourish and contribute. We will hear practical approaches to navigating organisational change, engaging diverse teams, and sustaining momentum while keeping people at the centre.
10.40 - 11.10	Panel session: System Leadership in Action: Collaborative commissioning for Anti‑Racist Transformation Professor Laura Serrant CBE, Chair of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust This panel examines how integrated care systems, NHS Trusts, local authorities, and community partners can align around anti‑racist commissioning and service design. Panellists will discuss real examples of partnership‑based solutions, explore the system conditions needed for sustained change, and reflect on lessons learned from collaborative anti‑racist leadership across the NHS. In a fast, changing system, we will hear from leaders who based on the past, will help us anticipate and think about the impact of the change in purpose and functions of the seven NHS Regions and the 26 ICBs.
11.10 – 11.30	Break
11.30 - 12.25	3 Breakout sessions
	Breakout 1: Anti-racism in governance and assurance frameworks A session tailored for board members, senior leaders and aspirant NEDS seeking to strengthen anti‑racism within governance and assurance frameworks. Speakers will outline approaches for embedding anti‑racist principles into organisational oversight, risk management, performance reporting, and cultural leadership. Delegates will gain practical tools and clear takeaways to support board‑level accountability.
	Breakout 2: From Tension to Trust: Practical Strategies for Fostering Good Relations amid conflicting beliefs Edna Boampong, Director of Comms and Engagement, Liverpool City Council This practical session focuses on helping leaders confidently navigate sensitive issues such as conflicting religion & belief, identity‑based tensions, cultural misunderstandings, racism and antisemitism. Speakers will provide techniques for facilitating dialogue, de‑escalating conflict, and strengthening trust while maintaining organisational values. Participants will leave with insights that support workforce, communities, and system partnerships. This session will also examine the emergent health system’s role in delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty. Particularly the general duty which requires public authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to foster good relations between people who share and people who do not share a relevant protected characteristic.
	Breakout 3: Fueling the Future: Unlocking Innovation for Equitable Workforce and Service Delivery A forward‑looking session exploring how innovation, funding streams, and cross‑sector collaboration can accelerate anti‑racist workforce and service transformation. Speakers will consider funding streams, the success of innovation networks, and activity of community partners. This session will showcase proven projects, highlight opportunities for attracting investment, and outline how equitable design can become embedded in future service models that deliver equity.
12.25 - 1.15	Lunch and networking
1:15 - 2:00	Panel session: Leadership that Delivers: Harnessing Anti‑Racism as a driver of excellence for all Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Chair, NHS Confederation Salman Desai, CEO, NW Ambulance Service NHS Trust This CEO panel brings together senior system leaders to discuss how anti‑racist approaches have shaped organisational performance, quality improvement, and culture. Panellists will share candid reflections from their leadership journeys, highlight tangible changes implemented within their organisations, and offer practical lessons for leaders working to advance equity.
2.00 - 2.55	Putting anti-racism practice at the heart of improvement: Tools and Stories that Inspire Change Professor Jagtar Singh OBE, Chair, APNA Designed and chaired by improvement specialists, this session explores how structured quality‑improvement methods can be aligned with anti‑racist practice. Enhancing service and improvement processes by drawing on anti-racism and involving and engaging people and patients in transformation. Delegates will hear from case studies illustrating how intentional improvement efforts can shift outcomes, behaviours, and organisational cultures.
2.55 – 3.15	Break
3.15 – 3.45	Panel session: Leadership Journeys & Resilience: Together we flourish Profession Dame Donna Kinnair, Chair, The Runnymede Trust In this reflective leadership conversation, Dame Donna Kinnair will interview senior leaders about their personal journeys, the challenges they have navigated within complex systems, and the resilience needed to lead with integrity. Delegates will receive insights into overcoming structural barriers and building leadership strength grounded in authenticity, purpose, and lived experience.
3.45 – 4.00	Closing remarks: From Conversation to Momentum: Who Are You Making Matter? Profession Dame Donna Kinnair, Chair, The Runnymede Trust Richard Stubbs, Chief Executive, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber and Chair, Health Innovation Network
4.00 – 5.00	Networking

Racism not only undermines the standards access, experience and outcomes for racialised communities, it also normalises the lowering of standards for racialised communities in a way that impacts negatively on the quality of care for everyone.
The NHS as an organisation, maintains broad public support and credibility to speak with authority in defence of its principles of universality, inclusivity and equality. It has a duty to do so in the interest of patient care. This remains of particular importance against the backdrop of division and social unrest witnessed over the past 12 months.
“As a new government prepares to deliver a new Ten-Year Plan – we are rising to the challenge of making sure no one is left behind.
The ambition for the NHS was not just that it be free to all, but that it provides the best care to all when they need it.
The NHS has long been aware of lower levels of satisfaction with and outcomes from its services among patients from racialised communities as well as growing need in, and widening inequalities impacting, those communities.
Our role as leaders is to provide the highest possible standards of care to all – it is time to come together to share perspectives, discuss solutions and build a future NHS that is truly antiracist." Joan Saddler OBE, Director of Partnerships and Equality, NHS Confederation
The network is open to all NHS leaders from BME backgrounds. We recognise that there are great NHS BME leaders operating in many roles and levels, not just as senior managers, and our network seeks to support them all.
We also welcome allies to join and support the network.
Join our movement that supports increased BME leadership within the NHS, head to our membership page and complete our form.

All of the people, all of the time: Anti-racism in leadership conference 2026

General information

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