Testimonials
I enjoyed this conference immensely. Communications before the event really engaged me and increased my confidence for using the tech and contributing. I really liked being able to catch up on recordings as I couldn't attend all live sessions. The speakers were experienced, informed and inspiring.
Theresa Douglas, Senior Educator, NHS Education for Scotland
This was a fantastic four days. I have gained inspiration and ideas for so many ways to improve practice. As my first attendance at a virtual conference, it was very reassuring to see that this format can be so effective.
Louise Goodall, Senior Practice Development Sister, Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The conference was immensely helpful - it consolidated and in many ways reaffirmed what I had experienced during this pandemic. But the conference also offered sound advice on approaches to leadership at all levels and across all stakeholders. There was a sense and an acceptance that leadership needs to work laterally and bottom up rather than the traditional top down (and which usually remains at the top and rarely filtering down).
Hani Ahmad, Grants Manager, Imperial Health Charity
I found the event to be well run and informative. All the sessions kept to time and I have left with lots of ideas of where improvements can be made within my own organisation.
Georgina Chandler, HR Manager, St Wilfrid's Hospice
The Kings Fund never fail to deliver on high quality leadership training.
Andrew Kelso, Medical Director, Barts Health NHS Trust
CPD made easy - content excellent. Very well organised - very enjoyable. Worth the money!
Julia Petty, General Manager, Integrated Community Services, CHCP
Thank you for putting on a virtual conference that was so user friendly. There were some inspirational speakers and lovely to platform it to a variety of users [...] as a mother working part time it made it easy to attend ones I could and then catch up with others if on my day off and not had child care. Wouldn't have had the opportunity before if this was the case. So thank you for this inclusivity [...] Please keep producing these to help access for those that might not be able to attend a face to face conference. It was easy to fit around work and life balances .
Lisa Matthews, Contract and Contracts Performance Manager, Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability
By attending this conference I have had confirmation that what we have been doing during during the pandemic has been on the right track. It has also given me the opportunity to learn form those presenting sessions through their experiences. The content has been exceptional. There were lots of useful resources to access. The virtual access went ahead with out a hitch. i would definitely recommend to others if they get to attend such sessions in this format in the future - don't hesitate go ahead and book.
Ellen Tumelty, Modern Matron for inpatient Services & IPC Lead, Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice
Speakers

Andrea Sutcliffe CBE
Chief Executive and Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council

Michael West
Visiting Fellow, Leadership and Organisational Development, The King's Fund

Navina Evans
Chief Executive, Health Education England

Dr John McCormick
Chief Clinical Information Officer, South Devon and New Devon CCGs

Professor Adam Gordon
Professor of Care of Older People, University of Nottingham

Annie Laverty
Director of Patient Experience, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Prerana Issar
NHS Chief People Officer, NHS England and NHS Improvement

Dan Wellings
Senior Fellow, The King’s Fund

Jake Beech
Researcher, Policy, The King’s Fund

Sarah Dracass
Clinical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist, East London NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Ed Garratt
Executive Lead, Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System

Anita Astle MBE
Managing Director, Wren Hall Nursing Home

Dr Sonya Wallbank
Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Department of Health and Social Care

Meera Nair
Chief People Officer, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Nicholas Bunker
Consultant Anesthetist, Barts Health NHS Trust

Sonia Henry
Head of Nursing, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Nicola Walsh
Assistant Director, Leadership and Organisational Development, The King’s Fund

Ben Fuchs
Senior Consultant, The King’s Fund

Thea Stein
Chief Executive, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Ravi Tomar
GP Partner, Portland Medical

Mark Doughty
Senior Consultant, Leadership and Organisational Development, The King’s Fund

Dr Jon Leung
GP Partner, Greystone House Surgery and Clinical Lead, Alliance for Better Care Ltd

Anna Rowland
Assistant Director of Policy, Business Transformation and Safeguarding, The General Medical Council

Simon Newitt
Senior Consultant, Leadership and Organisational Development, The King’s Fund

Angela Bishop
Head of Solutions, ThoughtWorks

Simon Bottery
Senior Fellow Social Care, The King’s Fund
Contact details
Booking enquiries
If you’d like to make a booking enquiry, please email Anna Viralainen at events@kingsfund.org.uk
Booking enquiries
If you’d like to make a booking enquiry, please email Anna Viralainen at events@kingsfund.org.uk
Programme enquiries
If you have any queries relating to our event programmes, please contact Caroline Viac at c.viac@kingsfund.org.uk
Programme enquiries
If you have any queries relating to our event programmes, please contact Caroline Viac at c.viac@kingsfund.org.uk
Sponsorship and exhibition enquiries
To find out more about our sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please contact Chloe Smithers at c.smithers@kingsfund.org.uk
Sponsorship and exhibition enquiries
To find out more about our sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please contact Chloe Smithers at c.smithers@kingsfund.org.uk
FAQs
- What is a virtual conference?
High-quality, up-to-date content is delivered to you via an online platform that is open for three weeks. During the first week, you will have the opportunity to log in, test your connection and become familiar with the set-up. The live sessions will take place over four half-days in the second week, giving you the option to catch up on demand until the end of week three.
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 a 'main room' for sharing resources and the option of one-to-one networking. Virtual exhibition stands enable you to interact with a range of organisations who will share expertise and information – all at a time that suits you.
- What can I expect?
The online platform will be open for three weeks in total:
Week one: test your connection
- On 16 November, you will receive an email asking you to log in and test your connection.
- Once you are logged in, you will have access to the chat function where you can introduce yourself and join conversations.
- The exhibition will also be open if you would like to explore the stands and download free resources.
Week two: attend the event
- On 23-26 November, we will email you each morning to remind you of the day’s sessions.
- You will have the opportunity to submit your questions and watch live or catch up later on demand.
Week three: catch up and complete
- In the third week, we will email you to ask for your feedback and to send your certificate of attendance.
- We will remind you to watch any presentations you were unable to join live and after this week, the online platform will close.
- PDFs of the presentation slides will be available to download at any time after the event.
- How do I get the best out of the virtual conference?
- 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. We recommend Google Chrome or Firefox for the best delegate experience.
- In week one, introduce yourself in the main chat. 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 second or third week to catch up on demand.
- Each session is approximately one hour 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 the most of the online community by taking part in the live Q&As and opting in to one-to-one networking.
- Make sure you secure time in your diary at some point over the three weeks to visit the exhibition stands, where you will find free resources and can have conversations with experts from across the health and care system.
- What if I have technical difficulties?
We are using a trusted third-party technical supplier that already produces our high-quality online events, so hopefully there shouldn’t be any technical issues. It’s worth using the extra time before the first session to log in and test your connection, just in case.
When the event is taking place, there will be technical support available at all times.
- Why do you charge for some events?
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 here.
- Do you offer bursary tickets for your virtual conferences?
We offer a number of free bursary places for patients and carers. These places are limited to maintain a balance of voices in the room between patients, service users, carers, and health and care professionals. To apply for a bursary place please email us a short paragraph explaining why you wish to attend.