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Pledging to change the NHS at Health and Care Innovation Expo

Expo 2014 will see the launch of NHS Change Day as it bids to get half a million pledges to improve care for people.

Last year’s Change Day initiative proved to be the biggest day of collective action for improvement in the history of the NHS. The initial goal of mobilising people to gain 65,000 pledges was easily beaten when the campaign received a staggering 189,000 online pledges of action from individuals, teams and whole organisations.

Off the back of that success, this year’s aim is to inspire people everywhere – staff, patients and the public – to gain 500,000 pledges to take a specific action to improve care for people.

Helen Bevan, of NHS Improving Quality’s Horizons Group, explained: “Our frontline staff have organised locally as Hub leads. They are making a fantastic contribution to inspiring other grassroots staff to make change happen at a local level. I’m looking forward to going on a ‘hub crawl’ in the lead up to Change Day to listen to the fantastic work they are doing.

“Anyone can make a pledge, and everyone is urged to embrace the energy of NHS Change Day and to ‘Pledge, Share, Do and Inspire’, to encourage the spread and adoption of improvement.”

Kirstie Stott, NHS Graduate Management Trainee and a Change Day Hub Lead, added: “Change Day is symbolic of how all staff, regardless of role, can make a difference and how each pledge can make a difference to each patient. I love being part of such a unity of likeminded people who share my passion and really show what a difference a day can make.”

Sir David Nicholson, NHS England’s Chief Executive, has made revolutionising wheelchair services his pledge of 2014 Change Day.

He explained: “My pledge is to bring together people across the country who are dedicated to improving services for people who use wheelchairs. Wheelchairs enable people to have full lives, and we need to revolutionise the way in which the NHS supports these people.”

Jane Cummings, NHS England’s Chief Nursing Officer, added: “I pledge to spend time with a district nurse and his or her team to understand the work they do and how integration can improve care for our patients.”

Last year a third of the total number of pledges received came on Change Day itself which, this year, falls during Expo on March 3.

There will be a large Change Day stand with the theme of ‘Change Day Park’ at Innovation Expo which is being staged at Manchester Central on March 3 and 4. It will incorporate a “Speakers’ Corner” where anyone can share their stories of change, as well as a live streaming session connecting with other pledgers around the country.

Every delegate attending Expo will be encouraged to make a pledge, and to share their pledges, so they can be a part of the biggest ever change event in the NHS.

To be staged on March 3 and 4 at Manchester Central, Expo is expected to attract thousands of delegates, all of whom want to bring about changes in health and care. Expo will be lively, engaged and participative.

Keynote speakers will include Ara Darzi and Lord Victor Adebowale, chief executive Sir David Nicholson, as well as medical director Sir Bruce Keogh.

There will also be a series of short and punchy discussions and debates.

Everyone attending Expo will be a student at the pop-up NHS University, able to build their own bespoke course from a wide range of seminars and workshops.

The courses will be arranged around a set of themes including creating widening care in the primary sector;  excellence in acute and hospital care; catalyst for change; people powered health and care; leadership for change; inside health and care, and living well for longer.

As Expo is being staged in Manchester there will also be a special focus on the North, “This is how we are doing it”, featuring a series of case studies of how innovation is developing high quality care for all.

The two days will also feature Camp Expo, where delegates will be encouraged to pitch in ideas and showcase their work – with no agenda required. What happens at Camp Expo will be set by people who choose to present there.

Whether becoming a dementia friend at the dementia café, picking up new digital health skills or making a pledge for NHS Change Day, everyone will be inspired, will make new contacts and move the dial on their professional ambitions.

Running alongside Expo will be a fringe event with lots of lively debate.

  • For more information on Innovation Expo 2014 go to: www.expo.nhs.uk and follow all the news as it happens on Twitter @NHSExpo #Expo14NHS
  • The Expo Fringe sets out to stimulate, inspire and entertain a wide audience of healthcare innovators over a two-day programme that wraps around the UK’s largest healthcare innovation expo.  Everyone is welcome to take part and contribute events and ideas to a packed programme of free events taking place around the main conference centre in Manchester’s bars, hotels and coolest spaces.  For more information go to www.zpbfringe.com #expofringe
  • For more information on NHS Change Day, go to: www.changeday.nhs.uk
  • Michaela Firth Blog on Change Day

One comment

  1. Usha Prema says:

    Really glad of Sir Nicholson’s pledge on revolutionising services for Wheelchair Users. Long overdue! So crucial to the quality of people’s lives and independence.
    I would really like to be involved in being part of his bringing people who wish to do the same.