21.06.19
Day two at Confed19 in Manchester: what did we learn?
The second day of the Confed19 conference, at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, saw a number of prominent guest speakers take to the stage.
Alongside the main stage discussions, a number of breakout sessions ran throughout the day which focused on the different elements of the NHS plan for the future of national healthcare and the Long Term Plan.
Here’s what we learned throughout the second, and final, day of the 2019 conference:
Implementation framework to be introduced next week to support Long Term Plan
Matt Tagney, programme director for the NHS Long Term Plan, was one of the first speakers at a specialist breakout session about how best to implement the Long Term Plan.
One of the key elements he stressed was that trusts and healthcare providers would not be left on their own to implement improvements, and an assisting framework would to be published next week.
He said: “We said when we launched NHS Long Term Plan, we’d also launch an implementation framework.
“This would then become a national transition plan. This will be published soon.”
Phasing will be allowed for stages of the Long Term Plan; implementation does not have to happen instantly
Mr Tagney was also keen to express that not all steps within the Long Term Plan had to implemented immediately.
He explained: “We are re-confirming our commitments to the Long Term Plan.
READ MORE: SIX things we learned from day one at Confed19
“There can be phasing though. Everything in the plan needs done - however it doesn’t need to all be done on day one.”
Interim People’s Plan isn’t about saying things aren’t being done, it’s about further improvement
Director of workforce strategy, Gina Naguib-Roberts, was also present to champion the Interim People’s Plan and wanted to stress that although the plan suggests improvements, this did not mean there was currently a lack of positivity across NHS trusts.
“What we definitely don’t want to say [in the Interim People’s Plan] is that people aren’t already doing these things and looking to improve the quality of the workplace.
“However, where this is already happening, we want to help them go further faster.”
Matt Hancock keen to express his pride in NHS workforce
Secretary of state for health and social care, Matt Hancock, told staff to be proud of their achievements this last year in his video message – having been unable to attend in person due to his involvement in the Tory leadership contest.
He said: “We have got to have a goal that the NHS should not just be the biggest employer in the country, but the best.
“Every single one of the 1.3m people who work in the NHS should take enormous pride in the achievements of the last 12 months.”
Needs assessment and leadership needed to address health inequalities
Professor David Williams, professor of public health at Harvard University, was one of the marquee names speaking at the event, talking about health inequalities and the relationship with race.
Speaking about improvements he felt NHS service providers needed to make on this issue, he was keen to suggest individual providers needed to assess their individual needs.
Prof. Williams explained: “We need to start with a needs assessment, as every organisation is different.
“Management and leadership must be involved and visible in their support of this from the very top level.”