News

Patients’ jury features at Future of Health Conference

Some of NHS England’s most influential figures are to take part in a high profile conference, The Future of Health, in London.

The two-day conference, being staged by NHS England and UCL Partners  and being held at the Business Design Centre in London, will also feature some of the world’s leading experts on the care and treatment of patients with long-term illnesses.

Chaired by Dr Martin McShane, NHS England’s National Director for Long Term Conditions, the conference will also feature NHS England’s chairman, Professor Sir Malcolm Grant, who will outline the national perspective on long-term conditions, and Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, National Medical Director.

Lord Victor Adebowale, Chief Executive of Turning Point, who will discuss the shift of £2.5billion  of the NHS budget into ensuring health and social care services are better joined up.

Other speakers will include Professor Richard Bohmer, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, and Dr Angela Coulter, a director at Boston’s Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making.

Others attending and taking part in a series of work stream sessions will be Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s National Director for Acute Episodes of Care, and Dr Geraldine Strathdee, National Clinical Director of Mental Health.

A unique aspect of the conference will be its People’s Jury – the first time patients and their families have been put at the centre of a major conference with the power to steer discussions.

The aim is to ensure the conference discusses what matters most to the people who use NHS England’s services.

The jury is made up of 12 people who either have experience of living with long-term conditions, or who care for those who do. The jury will oversee talks, guide the Q&A sessions and provide their feedback as part of the summary of each day.

The jury’s spokesperson, Anya de Longh, writes an excellent blog about her experiences and she has penned one about her role in the conference – The Patient Patient