We need to act now
There was a gentle buzz of excitement from the opportunity to meet in person at Leaders in Healthcare conference earlier this month, as well as the sense of collective determination to tackle the many challenges which have built up and been made worse by the pandemic.
“It’s a lot to do with the shared experience…to hear that other people have the same issues but different solutions…when people are feeling worn down it’s very energising.” Dr Renee McCulloch, Associate Medical Director, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust.
More than 850 attendees over four days, representing more than 30 countries, heard speakers reflect that sufficient data had been collected to inform the breadth and depth of healthcare’s biggest issues. There was wide consensus that we must now get on and ‘do’ – including providing the necessary support and guidance to the workforce – as there is so much that needs to be done.
“I have recently been appointed as clinical director and starting out on my leadership career. Yesterday was an extraordinary day. I came out with a lot of ideas that I can implement in my trust. I learnt a lot about myself that I can take away.” Mr Mohamed Elnasharty, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, Wales.
In this year's much-anticipated pre-recorded panel session led by Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the four UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) discussed health inequalities, leadership, the ongoing pandemic crisis and workforce wellbeing, as well as COP26 and the looming crisis of climate change as presenting an even bigger health issue.
Sir Michael McBride, CMO for Northern Ireland, talked of the need for political will and collective endeavour to deal with a common purpose. He said: "We've never had the public more engaged than we have in Covid” which offered up opportunities to make positive change, including "how we provide better support for the workforce, as the resilience of our frontline staff has been severely tested."
Dr Frank Atherton, CMO for Wales, talked of arriving at a crossroads offering two futures: either to ignore what has been learnt and go back to how things were before, or to adopt some of the new ways of working and transform health services for the benefit of all. He said: “Patient pathways will be a key part of the learning for the future” and he hoped for more “investment in health protection as well as health promotion, with a focus on equity”.
Dr Gregor Smith, CMO for Scotland, commented on COP26 in Glasgow “taking place in the midst of a global pandemic” as a sign of the seriousness of the existential threat to health and to wider public health, and unless we “create a greener, more sustainable form of healthcare now, the possibility of having resilient healthcare systems in the future will be compromised.”
And finally, Professor Chris Whitty, CMO for England, discussed the huge benefit to the UK population of the rapid pace and strong response of clinical science in dealing with the pandemic over the past 20 months. He also commented on “having had the privilege of seeing leaders emerging throughout the structure of the NHS and the medical profession and leading their teams through very difficult times, and over a protracted period of almost two years.” He went on to point out how doctors should be using their voice to explain in a clear way the threat to health presented by climate change, he said: “The whole point of COP26 is about economic leadership, but there’s a need for scientific leadership and we should take a strong leadership role on the fact this is a soluble problem.”
We are extremely grateful to all speakers and session leads for the high quality, topical leadership debate and workshops at Leaders in Healthcare 2021, as well as to all delegates, exhibitors and sponsors for the high calibre input, insights and support. We look forward to supporting all colleagues in putting that learning into practice over the coming weeks and months.
All keynotes and online sessions have been recorded and continue to be available to conference delegates to catch up on demand.