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Behind the scenes: How we build the NHS ConfedExpo agenda
Every year, NHS ConfedExpo brings together thousands of health and care leaders, professionals and partners to collaborate, share insights and shape the future of the sector.
But have you ever wondered how the programme actually comes together? We sat down with Charlotte and Sophie from our programme team to explain how our open submissions process works.
What is the open submission process, and why do we do it?
The open submission process originated with the NHS ConfedExpo team wanting to ensure we have as diverse and rich a programme as possible. We invite proposals from organisations across the health and care sector to design and deliver their own breakout sessions in spaces ranging from 125 to 300 delegates. While NHS England and the NHS Confederation deliver many sessions at NHS ConfedExpo, we knew it was important to give other organisations an opportunity to showcase how they’re solving challenges on the ground and give them the autonomy to run their own sessions in a way they think their colleagues will find most useful.
What kind of response have we had this year to the call for submissions?
We received over 400 submissions from over 230 organisations. The organisations represented services across the NHS, as well as charities, think tanks, government departments, national arm’s length bodies, Health Innovation Networks, membership bodies, academia and more.
In addition to this wide representation on the programme, we’ll also be running sponsored sessions across the two days, led by our industry partners. This ensures that even more perspectives and expertise are represented too.
Can you talk us through the areas where we had the most submissions, any surprises?
The two areas where we had the most submissions, perhaps unsurprisingly, were Technology and Innovation and Neighbourhood Health.
Artificial Intelligence remains a particularly prominent theme, but we received submissions on health-related technology in all forms.
Similarly, neighbourhood health is a major area of interest as you would expect given its prominence in the 10 Year Health Plan. As it cuts across so many parts of the NHS, there are countless angles from which people are approaching the conversation.
What would you say makes for a successful bid?
Successful sessions are ones that ask interesting and probing questions and speak directly to the needs of the NHS. Anyone can put together a panel on a topic. We were looking for sessions that address the key concerns of the day. We have selected topics and speaker line-ups that will foster real discussion and be most useful to health and care leaders. For example, a strong submission might focus on a specific, tested approach to reducing waiting times in a particular setting, or explore how a community health model has demonstrably improved outcomes — giving delegates something concrete to take away and apply in their own organisations.
What happens now? When can we expect to hear more?
We are now preparing to launch our agenda in mid-April. This is an exciting time for our session leads, as we work with them to finalise their sessions. Look out for the agenda going live very soon! We’re looking forward to sharing it with you.
The breadth and quality of submissions this year are a testament to the energy and expertise across the health and care system. We can't wait for you to see what the programme has in store.