The Future of Health Conference 2014 is set to continue the debate started by the NHS Five Year Forward View published last month.

Patients, healthcare professionals and the public will be given an opportunity to have their say on what the future of health care should look like.

There will be a people’s panel, made up of people currently living with long term conditions, who will engage with and challenge the keynote speakers including NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens.

There will also be a question and answer session with the audience, giving everyone a chance to feedback on what is being presented.

Dr Martin McShane, NHS England’s Director for Patients with Long Term Conditions said: “The NHS belongs to all of us and shaping the future together must be the right way to secure sustainable, high quality care.”

Designed in partnership with people with lived experience of long term conditions, the Future of Health Conference, to be held in London on 21^st November, will tackle four major themes set out in the Five Year Forward View:

• Personalisation and Empowerment – What are the barriers and enablers for people participating fully in their care to achieve their best outcomes?
• Innovation, Technology and Enablement – What is the role for developments in digital health in improving the quality of life for people with long term conditions?
• Equality and Parity in practice – What are the enablers and barriers for participation by people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, dementia, and other conditions and inequalities, which can put them at disadvantage in the healthcare system?
• Creating value – Think like a patient, act like a taxpayer – What are the system and financial levers enabling national and local organisations to co-design services which produce the best outcomes?

The Five Year Forward View was the collaborative work of NHS England, the partner organisations that deliver and oversee health and care services, patient groups, clinicians, the voluntary sector and think tanks.

All provided their input into how the health service needs to change over the next five years if it is to close the widening gaps in the health of the population, quality of care and the funding of services.

The conversation has been started but it needs your help to continue. It is critical that we hear the voices of all those with a stake in the future of our NHS.