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NHS Communications Forum

23 September 202610:00 - 17:30

Leonardo Royal Tower Bridge, 45 Prescot St, London, E1 8GP

In-person

  • Communications

Book now

Overview

Designed for senior communications and engagement leads in NHS trusts, ICBs and other member organisations, this forum is your opportunity to network and connect with your communications peers. Our first in-person event for this forum since becoming The NHS Alliance, explore common challenges and build relationships with peers.

Why this matters

Bringing together members from across the sector, this forum will provide a stronger and unified voice for NHS communications leaders.

Operating under Chatham House Rule, this forum is your opportunity to:

  • Share ideas, best practice and exchange learning.
  • Gain insights from government and national body leaders on key issues impacting the NHS communicators. 
  • Hear case studies from communications leaders on the latest innovative work in the sector.
  • Engage in interactive sessions to ask questions and share your thoughts.
  • Have open and honest discussions with peers in breakout sessions.

Always a helpful event. I leave with knowing I'm not alone in the issues I'm struggling with, helpful ideas for things to try and a renewed sense of optimism.

Previous attendee

Agenda

Agenda

Wednesday 23 Sep

  1. 10:00Registration, refreshments and networking

  2. 10:30Welcome

    • Introduction and chair's welcome

      • Chief Corporate Services Officer, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and co chair of the NHS Communications Forum

        Kate Jarman

  3. 10:40Session 1

    • Strategic policy update

      A presentation on strategic policy, communications and other key developments and what they mean for NHS Alliance members, followed by table discussions with your peers.

      • Director of Communications, The NHS Alliance

        Daniel Reynolds

  4. 11:25Comfort break

  5. 11:40Session 2

    • Managing NHS service change: communications and engagement best practice

      The 10-Year Health Plan signals an ambition to deliver more care in the community, with the expectation that we will see more local service reconfigurations in the months ahead. At the same time, the Health Bill going through Parliament proposes more powers for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – this follows changes in ministerial powers announced last year that allow for the secretary of state to ‘call in’ contentious reconfigurations.

      This session will focus on best practice when it comes to leading communications and engagement for service reconfigurations, featuring a panel of experts who understand the legal requirements and who have first-hand experience of delivering these initiatives.  

      • Deputy Director of Communications, Involvement and Insight, NHS West and North London ICB

        Chloe Morales-Oyarce

      • Partner, Browne Jacobson LLP

        Rebecca Hainsworth

  6. 12:30Lunch and networking

  7. 13:30Session 3

    • Breakout sessions

      In these facilitated discussions, delegates will be split into three groups to explore the following: 

      1. Role of communications and engagement in creating safer healthcare environments  

        The NHS organisations continue to face challenges relating to violence, abuse and discrimination towards staff. This interactive session will explore how communications and engagement teams can contribute to prevention and awareness raising to create environments where staff feel safe, supported and respected.

      2. The future of strategic engagement and involvement

        An important ongoing issue is how the NHS maintains meaningful public involvement during this period of reform, and how it avoids valuable capability becoming fragmented as structures change. This session will help communications and engagement leaders think through some of these challenges together and share emerging thinking and practice.

      • Director, Olovus

        Caroline Latta

      • Forum Co-Chair

        Kate Jarman

  8. 14:15Session 3

    • Learning from abroad: panel with international communications leaders

      Tom Gurney has been embarking on an ‘international healthcare communications learning tour’ by setting up a series of conversations with communications leaders from around the world. The purpose is to more clearly understand different approaches to communications and engagement, identify common challenges and to bring back learning to the NHS communications profession.

      In this session Tom will present key findings, common issues and emerging opportunities from these conversations, followed by group discussions on what the NHS communications community can do differently in the future.

      • Forum Co-Chair

        Tom Gurney

  9. 15:00Session 4 - TBC

  10. 15:45Closing comments

  11. 16:00Further networking opportunities

    • Post-event networking

      We'll be co-hosting a networking reception with the CIPR, offering delegates the opportunity to connect with peers, exchange ideas and expand their professional networks.

Please note, as the agenda is still in development for this event, session timings may be subject to change. We will share more details over the coming weeks of further sessions and speakers.

Forum chairs and speakers

Kate Jarman

Kate Jarman

Chief Corporate Services Officer

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Kate Jarman

Kate Jarman

Chief Corporate Services Officer

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Communication Leads Network chair.

Tom Gurney

Tom Gurney

Director of Transition and Communications

NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board

Caroline Latta

Caroline Latta

Founding Director

Olovus

Caroline Latta

Caroline Latta

Founding Director

Olovus

Caroline Latta Chart. PR is a founding director of olovus and a senior strategic communications, engagement and involvement specialist with more than 30 years’ experience across the NHS, public and private sectors. She helps organisations navigate complex change, particularly where decisions affect patients, communities, staff and other stakeholders. Her expertise spans NHS service change and transformation, public consultation, patient and public involvement, stakeholder engagement and communications strategy. Caroline has advised on major changes to urgent and emergency care, mental health, maternity, stroke, paediatric and primary care services, as well as the development of new hospitals. She combines a detailed understanding of NHS policy and statutory duties with a practical understanding of how to involve people meaningfully in decisions. She is a Chartered PR Practitioner, Vice Chair of the CIPR Health Group, an experienced facilitator, trainer and speaker, and co author of the NHS service change legal duties guide.

Chloe Morales-Oyarce

Chloe Morales-Oyarce

Deputy Director of Communications, Involvement and Insight

NHS West and North London ICB

Daniel Reynolds

Daniel Reynolds

Director of Communications

The NHS Alliance

Rebecca Hainsworth

Rebecca Hainsworth

Partner

Browne Jacobson LLP

Rebecca Hainsworth

Rebecca Hainsworth

Partner

Browne Jacobson LLP

Rebecca is a specialist corporate commercial lawyer for NHS and independent sector health and care clients. Her work covers a wide range of complex governance, corporate and commercial matters for NHS organisations and she is viewed as a trusted advisor to boards seeking to deliver strategic change through novel and complex projects. Rebecca is recognised as a leading expert on NHS transactions and hospital group models in the NHS having worked on the establishment of ten groups in the last three years and over 20 NHS statutory transactions. This includes advising NHS bodies on the implementation of joint committee and delegation arrangements under section 65Z5 and 65Z6 of the NHS Act 2006. She was also lead lawyer on the landmark merger decisions for the creation of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Rebecca is supporting clients nationally to deliver the proposals set out in the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan including the development of neighbourhood models, alliance commissioning and the pathway to Advanced Foundation Trust / IHO status. Rebecca is co-leading the firm’s cross-sector work on Neighbourhoods. Rebecca’s in-depth knowledge of the regulatory framework for NHS provider organisations, drawing on her experience in-house at Monitor / NHS Improvement and the Care Quality Commission, allows her to support NHS trust and NHS foundation trust clients on matters under the NHS provider licence, governance disputes and subsidiary company arrangements. Rebecca also advises ICBs on commissioning matters including primary care contract management and disputes, section 75 / 256 arrangements, and section 2 agreements and grant funding.

How to book

Attendance is free, however you will need to book in advance to receive event details ahead of the Forum.

If you have any questions, or would like to be added to the mailing list to hear about future events, please contact the Forums team.

Who should attend

For members of The NHS Alliance only, this forum is open to communications leaders, including:

  • Directors of communications and engagement across trusts, ICBs and other parts of the system. 
  • Other senior communications leaders.