Public Sector Focus

Welcome to Health+Care 2015

Programme director Mike Broad sets the scene for this year’s Health+Care conference at the ExCeL in London, which will welcome visitors on 24 June.

Health+Care returns to London’s ExCeL on 24-25 June 2015. More than 8,000 commissioners and health and social care providers will gather from across Europe to take part in the UK’s largest social and primary care conference. 

Health+Care is an essential conference for all those interested in integrated care, and is made up of seven key strands that are central to the future of health and social care: Commissioning, run in partnership with NHSCC; Care Commissioning; Home Care; Integrated Care; Residential Care; Public Health; and Technology First. 

There are more than 400 exhibitors at this year’s show, giving those involved in care provision and delegates from both commissioning and provider organisations an unparalleled user-friendly experience in one convenient place. Delegates will have the chance to see all the key players in one place, including Mears Group, NHS England and MSD. Over 350 speakers will deliver live case studies, debates and offer practical solutions to current challenges. 

Keynote speaker line-up 

• Jeremy Hunt will deliver a keynote address about Greater Manchester ‘Devo Manc’ and the future direction of health and social care, followed by a 20-minute Q&A, in the Integrated Care Theatre. 9.15am to 9.55am, 24 June. 

• Andy Burnham will deliver his keynote address – ‘Are the Conservatives’ election pledges deliverable in government?’ at 9.25am to 9.55am, 25 June. 

• The closing keynote will be on Greater Manchester Devolution – ‘GM Devo Going Live – From Deal to Delivery’ with Ian Williamson, interim chief officer for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Devolution, from 4.20pm to 4.50pm, 25 June. 

Knowledge Exchange sessions are new for 2015, offering delegates a unique opportunity to step out of the lecture theatres and engage in focused, in-depth discussion around shared challenges. Dr James Kingsland, chair of the National Primary Care Network, will be chairing a session on ‘Meeting the challenges through multidisciplinary working’. The purpose of the session will be to look at how you can cooperate to build a strong, multidisciplinary workforce with the right skill mix to support strong out-of-hospital care. 

Under the Public Health stream, Dr Joe McGilligan, LGA Champion for Health and Wellbeing; Alan Lotinga, service director for health and wellbeing at Birmingham City Council and chair of the Birmingham Adult Safeguarding Board; and Cllr Clive Furness, chair of the health and wellbeing board for Newham, will discuss ‘Future of Health and Wellbeing Boards in a changing political landscape’ on 24 June at 11.05am to 11.35am. 

The Care Commissioning stream will highlight examples of innovative commissioning, and discuss the key challenges to frontline improvement in both children’s and adults’ services. It will be relevant for social care commissioners, councillors, senior social workers and providers. One highlight is ‘The Care Act debate: implications and compliance’, with Des Kelly OBE (National Care Forum executive director); Dr Sam Bennett (Think Local Act Personal programme director); Harold Bodmer (director of community services, Norfolk County Council and vice president, ADASS). Caroline Selkirk, CEO at BAAF, will discuss ‘Meeting vulnerable children’s needs – the role of adoption and fostering’ at 2pm to 2.30pm on 25 June. 

Discover best-value solutions and innovative ways to save on utility bills by attending the Cost Savings hub, which is designed for residential care providers to find cost-cutting solutions to the everyday running of their care homes. 

The Residential Care stream will show how providers are working with commissioners to transform the sector’s role, offering vital services that balance cost, quality, choice and value-for-money in a developing market. It will also offer residential care providers practical advice on how to run their businesses more effectively. Highlights include: ‘Next steps in dementia care’ with George McNamara (head of policy and public affairs, Alzheimer’s Society); Dr James Warner (medical director, Red & Yellow Care); Professor Martin Green (CEO, Care England); and Andrea Sutcliffe (chief inspector of adult social care, CQC, interviewed on page 50). 

This year, the Technology First stream has expanded into two theatres: Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS) and Healthcare Technologies. The TECS Zone will provide CCGs, local authority telecare leads, GPs, care providers and housing associations the one event to explore the latest solutions that telecare and telehealth can offer. Delegates will hear from Tim Kelsey, national director for patients and information at NHS England, whose session ‘Personalised Health and Care 2020’ will demonstrate how to put data and technology to work for patients and citizens. Robert Flack, chief executive of Locala Community Partnerships, is also speaking at the show. His session will highlight how technologies can support patients both at home and in the community. 

We have listened to delegate feedback, and have introduced an innovative approach to enhance the delegate journey via a personalised plan based on areas of interest, organisation and job title. For the first time, we are reaching out into secondary care to support the dissolution of historic boundaries between secondary and primary care that is advocated in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View. There will be two new streams dedicated to trusts: ‘Integrating community-based care’ and ‘Hospital trusts – sustaining your future’. 

Delegates include directors and management teams from care home groups, nursing homes and homecare agencies; directors of services and public health directors from local authorities, clinical commissioning groups, commissioning support units, and board members from acute and community trusts.

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