Care Closer to Home Conference 2026
Practical solutions for delivering the government’s ambition to move "care closer to home."
Speakers
The government has put a ‘neighbourhood health service’ at the heart of its reform agenda for the NHS, aiming to shift to a model of care that is preventative and better supports those most in need. Across the health and care system there is lots of enthusiasm behind delivering this shift, enabling people to live well in their local areas and reduce the need for care to be delivered in hospitals.
As attention now shifts to implementation, health leaders are now seeking clarity on the core principles, intended outcomes and essential functions of neighbourhood models nationally.
This is an exciting opportunity to bring together our members across the health sector alongside national and local experts and inspirational speakers to examine what’s needed to make neighbourhood working a success. Change on this scale offers opportunities and challenges, and that’s why the theme of this year’s Care Closer to Home Conference is practical solutions for delivering the government’s ambition to move "care closer to home."
By fostering this crucial collaboration between different parts of the system, we’re seeking to spearhead the kind of closely integrated neighbourhood working which will form the bedrock on which a radically reconfigured NHS will sit. Following the publication of the 10 Year Health Plan and the launch of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, our second annual Care Closer to Home conference, brought to you in partnership with Optum, Accurx and Specsavers, could not come at a more timely juncture.
Core topics covered at this year's conference include:
- Defining what neighbourhood is
- Demonstrating the capabilities of provider alliances
- Building the neighbourhood workforce
- Developing a more devolved and permissive health and care operating model
- Estates (session to be sponsored by Community Health Partnerships)
- Health and prosperity
- Organisational development and leadership support
- The National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme.
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8:00 - 9:30am Registration and networking 8.20 - 9.20am Breakfast session on estates sponsored by Community Health Partnerships 9.30 - 09.35am Chair's welcome
- Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair, NHS Confederation
9.35 - 10.35am Neighbourhoods - progress, challenges, and opportunities across sectors and systems
One year after the NHS embraced neighbourhood working as its strategic direction, what lessons have emerged?
In this session, our network chairs will reflect on the key themes that have surfaced in neighbourhood working over the past year, highlighting notable progress as well as ongoing areas requiring further clarity. Join us for an insightful discussion on the journey so far and the priorities that remain ahead.
- Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Chair, NHS Confederation
- 'Foluke Ajayi, Vice-Chair, NHS Confederation and Chief Executive, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Duncan Gooch, Chair - Primary Care Network, NHS Confederation and GP and PCN Clinical Director, Erewash Health Partnership
- Dr Kathy McLean, Chair - ICS Network, NHS Confederation and Chair, Derby and Derbyshire and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board
- Dr Buki Adeyemo, Chair - Mental Health Network, NHS Confederation and Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
- Maria O'Brien, Vice-Chair - Community Network, NHS Confederation and Chief Executive, West London NHS Trust
10.35 - 11.10am Keynote 11.10 - 11.30am Networking and exhibition 11.30 - 12.30pm Choose from one of our breakout sessions:
Session one: Connecting us to the real world - bringing neighbourhood health into neighbourhood reform
This session explores the changing landscape of public service reform, focusing on how statutory services are rethinking their work with local communities under the government’s agenda.
With neighbourhood health leading the way, we’ll discuss the main drivers of change, the vital need to connect with communities, and practical steps for building effective partnerships.
The emphasis is on locally tailored, collaborative approaches that unite partners and resources for maximum impact. Drawing on successful examples like Health on the High Street, which shows how moving health services into community hubs boosts engagement and community spirit, the session will highlight proven and emerging strategies. We will also consider opportunities to align with programmes such as the Pride in Place Strategy, showcasing how community-led regeneration delivers sustainable results.
Join us for a discussion to help clarify your role in shaping local health and wellbeing and strengthen collaboration for the benefit of our communities.
Session two: Neighbourhood working in practice - sharing insights from the South-East Neighbourhood Health Accelerator Programme
This leadership session will share emerging insights from the South East Neighbourhood Health Accelerator Programme, a regional initiative supporting neighbourhood teams to design and deliver locally led solutions for improved health and wellbeing.
Through a series of real-world case studies, we’ll explore the complexities, challenges, and successes of neighbourhood-based projects tackling health inequalities, strengthening cross-sector collaboration, and shaping prevention-focused care closer to home.
Delegates will also take part in an interactive Neighbourhood Working Maturity Matrix, helping them assess where their local systems are on the journey towards integrated neighbourhood working. This will lead into speaker-led development discussions, where participants can focus on key growth areas and learn from practical examples emerging from across the South-East.
Session three: Insight into impact - turning data into impact for neighbourhood-based primary care services
Population health management provides powerful insights into the health needs of communities, but how has this been translated into meaningful action?
This session brings together NHS leaders and innovators to explore practical strategies which have moved for moving from data-driven insight to delivery — shifting primary care from traditional primary care network models toward neighbourhood working and care closer to home.
Sponsored by Optum
Session four: details tbc
Sponsored by Specsavers.
12.20 - 13.30pm Lunch and exhibition 13.30 - 14.30pm Choose from one of our breakout sessions:
Session one: Rewiring the NHS - can the new operating model drive the left shift?
The government intends to facilitate the shift to a more preventative and empowering model of care, delivered through neighbourhoods, to improve outcomes and put the NHS on a more sustainable footing. A more devolved and rules-based operating model will be essential to give each part of the system clarity on its purpose, what it is accountable for, and to whom.
The session will focus on how this new operating model is developing, including the contractual models introduced by the 10 Year Health Plan: integrated health organisations, single-neighbourhood providers and multi-neighbourhood providers. Each is intended to play a different but complimentary role in more integrated and preventative care delivered closer to people’s homes. But six months after publication of the 10 Year Health Plan, do these different mechanisms hang together clearly to chart a clear road to success?
Our panel will explore the opportunities and challenges of each model, how they might be used in combination and key considerations for implementation.
- Douglas Blair, Chief Executive, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Nigel Fraser, Vice-Chair - Primary Care Network, NHS Confederation and Chair, Herefordshire General Practice
- Sarah McConnell-Davies, Director of Transformation, North Central London ICB
- Viral Kantaria, Chief Integration Officer (Mental Health, Learning Disabilities & Autism), Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Session two: Realising the potential of alliances and partnerships - can alliances work collectively to transform care, improve standards and make the left shift a reality?
This session will build on the Confed’s previous events to highlight the potential of collaborative models in achieving the ‘left shift’. It will examine approaches for providers working together to deliver services closer to home.
In addition, the session will explore how partnership working can help reimagine the delivery of core services both inside and outside hospital settings, driving improvements in urgent and emergency care as well as planned care.
We will be joined by speakers from the West Essex Health and Care Partnership, who will share their model where acute, community, local government, the voluntary sector, patients, primary care and mental health providers collaborate to improve services.
- Professor Andy Brooks, GP and Clinical Chair, National Association of Primary Care
- Thom Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer, Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust
- Nicole Rich, Director Community Physical and Mental Health Services, Essex Partnership University Hospital Trust
- Dr Sian Stanley, GP Clinical Director, Stort Valley and Villages PCN
- Amy Jackson, Deputy Director of Integration and Transformation, West Essex Health and Care Partnership
- Ann Nutt, Chair of the Patient Panel, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Session three: Bringing the right team together - building the neighbourhood workforce
Discover innovative strategies to shape a neighbourhood health service staffed by a workforce ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
In this session, leading figures from across the NHS will share practical insights into breaking down traditional barriers and eliminating duplication between sectors. Explore how a skills and service led approach to planning neighbourhood health teams is transforming collaboration and delivering more coordinated, effective care for local communities.
Whether you’re a healthcare leader, commissioner, or practitioner, this session will provide valuable lessons and inspiration for future workforce planning.
Session four: details tbc
Sponsored by Accurx.
14.30 - 14.50pm Networking and exhibition 14.50 - 15.40pm Moving from rhetoric to reality: implementing a Neighbourhood Health Service
The government's 10 Year Health Plan put the establishment of a neighbourhood health service front and centre of its reform agenda. With all eyes now focused on implementation, this session will draw on learnings from best practice across the country (including the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme) - showcasing how providers, systems and wider partners, including local government have begun to create the conditions to deliver a new model of care for patients and communities.Panelists will share their own personal experiences and case studies to facilitate peer-to-peer challenge and learnings.- Dr Minal Bakhai, Director of Primary Care and Community Transformation and National Lead for the Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, NHS England
- Jacob Lant, Chief Executive, National Voices
- Mike Barker, Deputy Chief Executive, Oldham Council
- Claire Kennedy, Joint Chief Executive, PPL
15.40 - 16.10pm Keynote 16.10 - 16.30pm Chief executive's summary and close
Here's what some of our delegates had to say about last year's conference:
"It was such an inspiring day seeing people all over the country showcase how collaboration, hard work and leadership can show results."
"Really well organised, friendly and informative."
"Brilliant day, left feeling energised and with additional contacts from networking."
Pricing
- Members of the NHS Confederation can apply for one complimentary place for their organisation. Complimentary tickets are offered on a first come first served basis. Additional discounted places for NHS Confederation members will be charged at £149 + VAT. Find out more about our membership offer.
- The price to attend is £295 + VAT for non-members (NHS, VCSE, ALB's, Government), £400 + VAT for our associate members and £650 + VAT for commercial businesses.
Partnership opportunities
If you are from a commercial organisation and would like more details on partnership and exhibitor opportunities, please contact, Shaz Azam, Senior Business Development Manager.
In partnership with:
