9:00 - 9:05
Registration and morning refreshments
Main conference room
9:05 - 9:15
Welcome remarks
Main conference room
Steve Ford, editor, Nursing Times
09:15 – 09:45
Keynote and Q&As
Main conference room
The Future of Nursing: Resilience, Reform, and Reimagination
As system-wide reform accelerates, nurses are being asked to adapt, lead, and reimagine their roles in a changing health and care landscape. In this opening keynote, Professor Mark Radford will explore what’s on the horizon, from structural shifts to new opportunities, and reflects on how nurses can play an active role in shaping the future.
Professor Mark Radford CBE, National Director of Education and LTWP Delivery & Deputy Chief Nurse for England, NHS England
09:45 – 10:30
Panel Discussion
What Nurses Need Now: Turning Workforce Insights into Action
Main conference room
System-wide change is here, from the merging of national bodies to the rise of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and shifting leadership structures. But what do nurses want from this transformation, and how can we make it happen? This session looks beyond the disruption to focus on solutions: how nurses can shape new ways of working, influence decision-making, and secure the support and visibility they need.
Chair:
Steve Ford, editor, Nursing Times
Panellist:
Steph Lawrence MBE, Director of nursing and deputy CEO, Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing
Tristan Kerr, Director of Nursing and Governance, Barts Health NHS Trust
10:30 – 11:00
Morning refreshments, networking and exhibition
Ideas exchange
Designed to allow the audience to network and consider several workforce priorities. Each session will feature an introduction to the session topics and a panel to share feedback from the discussions. Choose which round table discussion to attend or join the panel discussions stream.
11:00 - 12:20
Recruitment, Education & Training – Main stage
Strategic panel discussions and expert keynotes with Q&A sessions
Presentation
Training Passports and Shared Credentials: Why We Need Standardisation
11:00 – 11:30
Building a stronger nursing pipeline means making it easier for staff to move, grow and stay. This session explores how a national ‘training passport’ could streamline role transitions, reduce onboarding delays, and support career progression. With real examples from trusts trialling local solutions, we’ll look at how shared credentials can boost recruitment, training efficiency and retention.
Panel Discussion
Future Nurses: Reframing Nursing for the Next Generation
11:30 – 12:20
With student nurse applications falling year on year, educators and nurse leaders must urgently confront nursing’s “negativity problem.” This panel will explore how to reshape the public image of nursing into one that is proud, visible, and deeply compelling.
How do we rebrand nursing as aspirational and impactful? And how do we spark curiosity and a sense of purpose in the next generation?
Chair:
Steve Ford, editor, Nursing Times
Panellist:
Nyarai Gondo, Associate Chief Nurse, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Zaneta Sadauskaite-Khokhar, third-year adult nursing student, University of East London
Transformation – Idea Exchange
Choose the round table with the topic closer to your heart for an interactive session with your peers, guided by an expert moderator.
Focussing on transforming nursing practice and workforce to improve patient care and safety.
Intro Panel
11:00 – 11:10 am
Roundtable Discussions
11:10 – 11:50
Blended Teams in Practice
What does successful cross-sector, cross-discipline collaboration look like
From hospital to home, nurses are working alongside social workers, paramedics, mental health specialists and more, but how do we make these blended teams work well in practice? This session dives into real challenges and lessons learned from cross-sector collaboration. Come ready to share what’s helping (and hindering) integration, and explore what nurses need to lead and thrive in truly joined-up care
The Northumbria Model
A Localised Approach to Education and Retention
Explore how a rural trust created a thriving simulation and training centre, supporting local apprenticeships, flexible training, and high retention, a replicable, resilient solution for workforce development
Emma Dawes, Head of NMAHP Education and Workforce Development, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Helen Mcmanus, NMAHP Education and Development Lead, Advanced and Enhanced Practice, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Ideas exchange - Feedback discussion panel
11:50 – 12:20
- What common challenges have been highlighted in the discussions?
- What advice would you offer to overcome these challenges?
- What actions or pledges would you like delegates to take away from this session?
12:20 - 13:20
Lunch, networking and exhibition
13:20 - 14:40
Leadership, Culture & Retention - Main Stage
Strategic panel discussions and expert keynotes with Q&A sessions
Presentation
Tackling Toxic Norms: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying and Silence
13:20 – 13:50
Toxic cultures don’t just happen, they’re enabled by systems that fail to listen. The Letby case has become a stark warning of what’s at stake when clinical concerns are dismissed, and when the gap between HR and frontline insight grows too wide.
This session focuses on how we move from silence to safety. How do we build cultures where speaking up is expected, and acted on? Where HR and clinical leaders work together to protect people, not reputations?
Panel discussion
Culture Is the New Strategy - Compassionate leadership
13:50 – 14:40
This panel will explore how leadership practices shape culture and impact retention. From trauma-informed leadership to visible, values-led governance, panellists will discuss how to move from ‘top-down’ to ‘walk-alongside’ approaches that empower staff, boost morale, and address the silent exit of experienced nurses.
Chair:
Steve Ford, editor, Nursing Times
Panellist:
Kelly Mcgovern, Chief Nurse, West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Dr.Ruth Oshikanlu MBE, nurse entrepreneur and executive director, Goal Mind and Abule CIC
Recruitment, Education & Training - Ideas exchange
Choose the round table with the topic closer to your heart for an interactive session with your peers, guided by an expert moderator.
Intro Panel
13:20 – 13:30
Roundtable Discussions
13:30 – 14:10
Rethinking Entry Routes
Apprenticeships vs. University Pathways: What works and for whom
With the need to expand and diversify the nursing workforce, this session explores the strengths and challenges of different entry routes into the profession. Join peers to debate what’s working, who benefits most from each pathway, and how we can ensure every route leads to confident, capable nurses ready to thrive.
Training on the Floor
How to deliver continuous, bite-sized education at the point of care.
Traditional training models don’t always fit the realities of stretched teams. This session explores how we can embed short, practical learning into everyday practice, from micro-teaching on shift to digital prompts and peer support. Join colleagues to share what's working, what gets in the way, and how we can build a culture where learning happens in real time, not just in classrooms.
Ideas exchange Feedback discussion panel
14:10 – 14:40
- What common challenges have been highlighted in the discussions?
- What advice would you offer to overcome these challenges?
- What actions or pledges would you like delegates to take away from this session?
14:40 - 15:10
Afternoon refreshments, networking and exhibition
15:10 - 16:30
Transformation - Main Stage
Strategic panel discussions and expert keynotes with Q&A sessions
Presentation
Tech That Works for Nurses : Unlocking flexibility, balance, and time to care
15:10 - 15:40
Technology has the power to make work better. When it’s shaped with the workforce in mind, it can offer more control, smarter staffing, and a better balance between work and life.
This session explores how digital rostering and workforce tools are enabling more flexible, responsive workplaces, where nurses feel supported, valued, and free to focus on what matters most: time to care.
Panel discussion
No More Them and Us : Bridging divides between sectors, roles, and leadership tiers
(NHS, social care, mental health, digital leader)
15:40 - 16:30
As the government’s health and care strategy shifts from hospitals to communities, from sickness to prevention, and from analogue to digital, collaboration has never been more essential. This panel explores how we can break down silos between sectors and leadership tiers, across NHS, social care, mental health, and digital, to deliver truly joined-up care.
What does it take to move beyond “them and us” thinking and lead with shared purpose, aligned incentives, and mutual respect?
Chair:
Steve Ford, editor, Nursing Times
Panellist:
Annesha Archyangelio, Director of Nursing - specialist commissioner, NHS
Jenny Kirkland, Chief Nurse, Elysium Healthcare
Leadership, Culture & Retention - Ideas exchange
Choose the round table with the topic closest to your heart for an interactive session with your peers, guided by an expert moderator.
Intro Panel
15:10 – 15:20
Roundtable Discussions
15:20 – 16:00
David Thomas, Director of Nursing Strategy and Transformation & CNIO, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Staff safety and patient dignity in secured mental health settings
Nurses in mental health and secure settings face some of the highest rates of violence and aggression in the NHS. This session explores how frontline staff can be better supported, with insight on the challenges of managing safety as restrictive interventions are reduced.
Speak-Up Spaces and Psychological Safety.
Creating climates where nurses can thrive.
This session explores how to build cultures of trust, where concerns are heard, mistakes become learning moments, and staff feel supported to be honest and open.
Olga Lainidi, PhD Researcher & Post Graduate Teaching Fellow (PGTF), School of Psychology, University of Leeds
Ideas exchange feedback discussion panel
16:00 – 16:30
- What common challenges have been highlighted in the discussions?
- What advice would you offer to overcome these challenges?
- What actions or pledges would you like delegates to take away from this session?
16:30 - 17:00
Fire Side Chat: Closing the Gap Between Expectations and Realities
Join a candid conversation between a senior chief nurse and frontline nurses from both hospital ward and community setting. This session explores the disconnect between strategic expectations and everyday clinical realities. Together, we’ll unpack what leadership can learn from the floor, and how mutual understanding can drive meaningful change in practice, policy, and workforce morale.
Senior chief nurse
Ward manager
Early career nurse (acute)
Nurse (community)
17:00 - 17:05
Closing remarks