It’s always a delight to sit back and listen to great speakers sharing their experiences and insights.
So attending NHS ConfedExpo as an independent delegate - after ten years of enjoying a comms role on the busy Health Innovation Network stand - felt like a treat. Here are a few personal highlights.
Be curious
From Rosie Benneyworth, interim CEO of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body, we heard a plea to leaders to be curious; go and see what’s going on in your organisation, how are people working, are they taking shortcuts - and are those shortcuts safe.
When things go wrong, think about how you respond; we need happy, healthy staff to deliver good care and leaders should set the tone with an approach that encourages openness and learning from failure, rather than blame.
Her rallying call was to ‘blitz the system’ and put safety at the centre of strategy.
Communication with staff, patients and the public was a recurring theme.
Restore faith
NHS England CEO Sir Jim Mackey told us not to be tribal and stop worrying about who is responsible for what, during the seismic changes underway regionally and nationally.
He wants local leaders to have more control and to feel free to innovate and take risks to achieve their ambitions.
But he is concerned that the public have lost faith in the NHS; the latest British Social Attitudes Survey shows that just one in five people are satisfied with the NHS.
We have to reset how we work together in the NHS and how we work with the population to build back trust - which requires better listening and engagement, ie communications.
Time to be kind
And while much of the system is in the grip of change with all the uncertainty and anxiety that brings, it was timely to hear Tim Keogh of A Kind Life talk in the Caring Corner podcast about compassionate leadership.
Kindness starts with noticing, said Tim; notice what’s happening with someone – and then listen to what they need. Listening and engagement leads to trust and motivation – which increases productivity while improving wellbeing.
Look out for a new leadership and line management development programme soon to be rolled out in the NHS, by Tim and team.
My day two started with a ‘Future of NHS comms’ podcast discussion which could have been depressing, with job losses in prospect for many comms teams caught up in the NHS England/ICB overhaul.
Standing up for comms
In fact the speakers were energised and grasping the nettle of duplication, given as one of the main reasons for rationalising teams. Comms leaders like Daniel Reynolds of NHS Confederation have been feeding into the creation of the model ICB, making sure the comms role in every aspect of staff, stakeholder and population engagement is realised and valued.
The strategic role of communications is often undervalued as it is invisible in the rolling out of initiatives and day to day business. It is only at times of crisis that comms steps into the spotlight.
Supporting learning and development
A taskforce on diversity in comms teams has been led by Edna Boampong (FCIM), formerly an NHS director of communications and now director of comms at Liverpool City Council. Multi award-winning Edna has led an appreciative inquiry of the experiences of around 450 people from black and multi ethnic backgrounds.
One of the findings was that one quarter of those interviewed feel they don’t have a future in the NHS. Ranjeet Kaileof South London and Maudesley NHS Foundation Trust urged us to open doors and lift up those who face barriers at work, especially in a profession that can be seen as reserved for the elite middle class. Their report is soon to be published by Confed.
Meanwhile a challenge for all comms professionals is the rapid advance of artificial intelligence; Daniel Reynolds and Ranjeet Kaile are co-chairing a taskforce which will publish a report providing use cases and guidance on how and when to use AI – a much-needed north star in a coming storm of disruption.
In a time of huge change and challenge for many parts of the NHS, getting communications right for staff and local communities is crucial. The hope is that our system leaders realise the value of comms – and cherish the professionals who provide it.
Recordings and summaries of ConfedExpo sessions are available at: https://fsmevents.uk/nhs-confed/2025/
