Community-led approaches to health and wellbeing

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Communities are playing an increasingly important role in improving health and meeting the wellbeing needs of people locally, highlighted in part by their role in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Integrated care systems (ICSs) need to recognise the role communities can play in improving and sustaining good health, and as part of this they need to seek greater involvement with local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups at the place and neighbourhood level, where the link local communities is at its strongest.

This conference provided an opportunity to discuss the impact of community-led and person-centred approaches to improving health and wellbeing, and explored what more can be done to build on community interventions, assets and solutions that developed as a response to the pandemic. 

We also considered the challenges of demonstrating value and of working with communities to assess need and provide services. Delegates also heard from community groups who have worked with others – including their ICS, local health system or local authority – to develop a collaborative approach to tackling health inequalities.

What can I expect from this event?

Informed by presentations from people and teams from local authorities, the VCSE sector and in the NHS, sessions will explore how to:

  • make the case for the value of community solutions in a system under stress
  • assess and commission what communities need
  • make the most of community and social assets
  • make decisions together with communities
  • use social prescribing and other approaches to tackle health inequalities at a local level
  • seize the opportunities of integrated and place-based care to make a difference for communities.
     

Event supporters

The Health Creation Alliance logo

The Richmond Group of Charities

Speakers

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Helen Gilburt

Fellow, The King’s Fund

James Sanderson

James Sanderson

Director of Community Health Services Primary, Community and Personalised Care (PCPC), NHS England

Charlotte Pomery

Charlotte Pomery

Chief Participation and Place Officer, NHS North East London

Dan Mobbs

Dan Mobbs

Chief Executive, MAP

Matt Leach

Matt Leach

Chief Executive, Local trust

Aisha Namurach

Aisha Namurach

Project Coordinator, Common Ambition Bristol

Charles Kwaku-Odoi

Chief Officer, Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN);

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Dan Wellings

Senior Fellow, The King’s Fund

May Connolly

May Connolly

Community Team Manager, Heeley Trust

Professor Jane South

Professor Jane South

Professor of Healthy Communities, School of Health, Leeds Beckett University

Glynn Butcher

Peer Support Ambassador, People Focused Group (PFG Doncaster)

Merron Simpson

Merron Simpson

Chief Executive, The Health Creation Alliance

Ellie Rogers

Ellie Rogers

CEO, Leeds GATE

Helen Chicot

Helen Chicot

Reform and Prevention Lead, Rochdale Borough Council

Christiana Melam

Christiana Melam

Chief Executive, National Association of Link Workers

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Chris Naylor

Senior Fellow, The King’s Fund

Julian Lloyd

Chief Executive Officer, Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent

Keith Cunliffe

Councillor Keith Cunliffe

Deputy Leader, Wigan Council and Portfolio Holder, Adult Social Care and Health

Zoe Porter

Zoe Porter

Associate Director, Person and Community Centred Approaches, NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care

Warren Escadale

Chief Executive, Voluntary Sector North West

Mary Hutton

Mary Hutton

Chief Executive, NHS Gloucestershire

Heather McLean

Heather McLean

Head of Partnerships – North of England, Macmillan Cancer Support

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Ruth Robertson

Senior Fellow, The King's Fund

Booking enquiries

Booking enquiries

If you'd like to make a booking inquiry, please email the events team at events@kingsfund.org.uk.

Programme enquiries

If you have any queries relating to this event programme please email us at events@kingsfund.org.uk.

Sponsorship and exhibition enquiries

Please email partnerships@kingsfund.org.uk.  

FAQs

Format and time 
High-quality, up-to-date content is delivered to you via an online platform that is open for four weeks. During the first week, you will have the opportunity to log in, test your connection and become familiar with the setup. The live sessions will take place over two in the second week, giving you the option to catch up on demand until the end of week four. 
 
Virtual conferences mean you can digest content at your own pace and work around a busy schedule. You can pause and rewind presentations and put your questions to our expert speakers. There is an activity feed for public conversations and the option of one-to-one networking. Virtual exhibition stands enable you to interact with a range of organisations that will share expertise and information – all at a time that suits you.
 
Networking 
If you choose to opt-in to networking, you will appear on the attendee list, where other delegates will be able to click on your profile and see whether you are online or offline.  
 
If you discover someone that you would like to talk to, you can send them a message, invite them to have a one-to-one video conversation or exchange virtual business cards during the week that sessions take place. The messages and calls are encrypted and entirely private. If you are offline and another delegate sends you a private message, you will receive an email notification so you will never miss out. You are in control, so you can choose whether to accept or decline invitations and you can change your settings at any point in the four weeks, either to opt-in or opt-out of networking. 
 
On your profile, you can share as much or as little information about yourself as you’d like, including your contact details, photo and biography, social media profiles or any websites you would like others to see.  
 
During sessions, you can post questions for the speakers, make notes, take part in polls and take part in the session chat where you can interact with other delegates. 
 
Resources  

As well as the video content, we will share pdfs of the slides and other materials in the resources section. The exhibition will also contain links, videos and documents from the various exhibitors.
 
Taking notes 
If you use the note-taking functionality during the sessions, you can access these later. They will be saved in the platform until the conference closes (at the end of week four) and you can email yourself a copy.
 
Exhibition 

Virtual exhibition stands enable you to interact with a range of organisations that will share expertise and information – all at a time that suits you.  
 
Games and competitions 

Throughout the first two weeks, there will be an opportunity to take part in some fun interactive challenges that include some fantastic prizes.

  • Before the event, tell your colleagues that you are taking part and block out the time in your diary.  
  • Make sure you are using an up-to-date web browser on a laptop or desktop. We recommend the latest Google Chrome for the best delegate experience. 
  • Make the most of the online community by taking part in the live Q&A sessions and opting into networking.  
  • In week one, introduce yourself on the activity feed. This is an easy way of ‘getting your voice in the room’, starting conversations and establishing new relationships with colleagues in health and care.  
  • Avoid as many distractions as possible so you can immerse yourself in the sessions as you would at a physical conference. Treat each session as a meeting, put your phone on silent and close down your emails. 
  • If you know you won’t be able to watch certain sessions live, you can submit your questions in advance and put aside time in the third or fourth week to catch up on demand. 
  • Each session is approximately 75 minutes long and there is always at least a half-an-hour break between sessions so you can take a screen break or catch up on emails. 
  • Make sure you secure time in your diary at some point over the four weeks to visit the exhibition stands or the resource hub, where you will find free resources and can have conversations with experts from across the health and care system.

When the event is taking place, we will be on hand to offer technical support, but it is worth using the extra time before the first session to log in and test your connection, just in case. 
 
To ensure you receive the joining instructions and information leading up to the event please check that @kingsfundmail.org.uk domain is whitelisted by your IT administrator.

Throughout the conference, we will share pdfs of the slides. You will find these at the bottom of each session page and we will post links to related resources in the chat and on the activity feed. 

The portal is open for four weeks when you will have the opportunity to either watch, save or download these materials. 

Once the platform closes, you will no longer have access to these resources so please ensure you save everything you need beforehand, including any slides, materials in the exhibition and notes you have made. 

Please note, you will not be able to download the video presentations.  

The King's Fund is an independent charitable organisation working to improve health and care in England. Our events are a key source of income, and this income enables us to continue with our charitable objectives.  

The cost of running a virtual conference is similar to that of a physical event. Although a virtual conference has fewer room hire and catering costs, in order to produce a high-quality event, we still need to pay the costs for the technical supplier, support and developing the platform. With some sessions taking place in our building, we do have to cover some venue costs. We also have a team of dedicated events professionals, content experts, digital, marketing and finance support that work on these events.   

Any profit that is made from these events goes directly towards achieving our strategic priorities. You can find out more about how we are funded.  

We offer a limited number of bursary places for people with lived experience to ensure a balance of voices in the room. To apply for a bursary place please email us a short paragraph explaining why you wish to attend.  

Yes. Please select your tickets and once you're through to the registration form on Eventbrite, you can amend the 'payment method' from credit card to 'pay by invoice' .   

Please note, there is a £20 + VAT surcharge to cover the cost of processing invoices. This is an addition to the ticket price and will be added to your invoice. There is no charge for paying by debit or credit card. 

Cancellations confirmed in writing more than 14 days before the first session will be refunded in full. We regret that no refund can be made after that date. However, you can transfer your ticket to another event in the following six months. Please email us at events@kingsfund.org.uk with confirmation of your original booking to cancel or transfer your ticket. On completion of the confirmed booking the delegate and their supporting organisation are liable for the fees for the training (regardless of whether payment has been made).

We offer a discount for group booking booked under the same order and organisation for more than 3 delegates. Please email us at events@kingsfund.org.uk to get the discount.

  • 3-4 delegates (10 per cent discount)
  • 5-6 delegates (15 per cent discount)
  • 7+ delegates (20 per cent discount)

If you have other accessibility requirements you would like to discuss, please email us at events@kingsfund.org.uk We will also ask you for this information during the registration process. ​