Reflections from the 2024 South West Clinical Senate Assembly Annual Conference
The South West Clinical Senate Assembly Conference “Reimagining the NHS … the next 75 years” took place on 07 March 2024 in Exeter. It was our first venture back to an in-person format for our conference since the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite my initial nervousness about this, everything went swimmingly – the hotel was easy to find, the food was great, and the AV equipment worked well!
The conference built on the deliberations by the Senate Council at an earlier meeting in June 2023, and focussed on four of the themes that emerged from that meeting: public health and prevention, workforce, risk, and patient and public voice. The report from the Council meeting is available to download on the South West Clinical Senate website.
Dr Sally Pearson, Chair of the South West Clinical Senate, supported by Professor David Halpin, Vice Chair of the South West Clinical Senate, chaired the conference and they were joined by several thought leaders and knowledge brokers in UK healthcare who shared their knowledge and expertise on the day. Please click here to view the conference delegate pack which includes the agenda.
Our thanks go to:
- Professor Erika Denton, Interim Medical Director for Transformation, NHS England, Consultant Radiologist with special interest in breast imaging, Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital Trust, Honorary Professor of Radiology, University of East Anglia.
- Professor Sir Michael Gideon Marmot, Director, University College London Institute of Health Equity, Professor of Epidemiology, University College London
- Professor Maggie Rae, President of the RSM Epidemiology and Public Health Section, Deputy Director – Regional Public Health Programmes, NHS England – South West
- Dr Kathy Ryan, Medical Director, BrisDoc Healthcare Services
- Dr Caroline Stovell, Deputy Medical Director, BrisDoc Healthcare Services and Executive Coach
- Dr Geoff Smith, Regional Postgraduate Dean, NHS England South West.
- Benedict Knox, Healthwatch England Head of Communications.
- Nigel Acheson, Chief Medical Officer, NHS Devon ICB
- Pete Bramwell, Regional Director of Communications, NHS England – South West
- Kirsty Hillier, Deputy Director of Communications, NHS Dorset ICB
- Steve Brown. Director of Public Health, Communities & Prosperity
- Dr Charlie Kenward, GP and Clinical Lead in BrisDoc
- Dr Anne Whitehouse, Deputy Medical Director, BrisDoc.
- Dr Lisa Munro-Davies, NHSE SW (WT&E) Associate Postgraduate Dean (Workforce Transformation)/ Faculty of Advancing Practice Lead
- Girish Lakhanpal, Regional Deputy Lead Faculty of Advanced Practice NHSE SW (WT&E)
- Rachael Brandreth, Advanced Practice Education & Training Development Lead (Therapies & Community) NHSE SW (WR&E)
- Steven Blakeway, Advanced Practice Training & Education Development Lead (Primary Care) NHSE SW (WT&E)
- Paul Green, Deputy Director for Primary Care, NHS Devon ICB
- Jonathan Sewell, Insight and Involvement Manager, NHS Devon ICB
- Steven Clark, Partnerships, Involvement, and Inclusion Manager, NHS Devon ICB
- Sarah Lonton, Operational Lead for Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth & Torbay
- Victoria MacDonald, Health and Social Care Editor, Channel 4 News, and Chair of Validity (formerly Mental Disability Advocacy Centre)
The conference was well attended by clinicians, health and care professionals, and patient and public voice partners from across the South West region and the feedback received on the day and in response to a survey questionnaire was positive.
As we look ahead to the 2025 Senate Assembly conference, we are keen to build upon the success of, and learn lessons from the 2024 conference. We are exploring options around the format (for greater accessibility) and possibility of working in partnership with other networks/ systems/ partnerships for increased impact and reach across the region.
Ajike Alli-Ameh
Head of Senate, South West Clinical Senate