Conference

Midlands and East SPF conference 2024

Name: Midlands and East SPF conference 2024
Start: 2024-12-03
End: 2024-12-03
Location: Eastwood Hall

Book your free place at our Midlands and East partnership conference at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham on Tuesday 3 December 2024.

Book your place now

General information

Time: 3 December 2024 09:30 - 15:30 GMT
Add to calendar: Google iCal
Audience: Open to all
Event location: Eastwood, Nottingham, NG16 3SS

A diverse group of colleagues out on a walk.

Working in partnership to tackle health inequalities and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

Following the success of our 2023 event, we are returning to Eastwood Hall in Nottingham for the annual in-person partnership conference for the Midlands and East region.

Join us on 3 December 2024 as we consider how to work in partnership to address health inequalities and promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

This event is for staff side and HR colleagues working across the Midlands and East.

There will be the opportunity to network and share best practice for effective partnership working to support the NHS workforce across the Midlands and East of England.

Agenda

09:30–10:30am - Registration and networking

Welcome from our conference co-chairs from the national and regional SPFs.
- Alice Sorby, Director of Employment Relations at the Royal College of Midwives, national SPF member and NHS Staff Council EDIG staff side co-chair 
- Ali Koeltgen, Chief People Officer, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Midlands SPF co-chair
Our national partnership group co-chairs to set the scene and consider the wider context for the NHS workforce. We’ll hear about the partnership work taking place in the EDI and health inequality space by the national SPF and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group of the NHS Staff Council.
- Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive, NHS Employers and co-chair of the National SPF
- Alice Sorby, Director of Employment Relations at the Royal College of Midwives, National SPF member and NHS Staff Council EDIG staff-side co-chair
- Harjit Bansal, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, North East London NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Staff Council EDIG employer vice co-chair

11:30–11:45am - Networking break

This session will delve into how unions and HR teams can join forces to address pay gaps through an intersectional lens, considering the unique barriers faced by employees across different identities. Building on insights from the Fawcett Society and Runnymede Trust Broken Ladders report, the presentation will explore actionable strategies that empower both unions and HR to create meaningful and sustainable changes in pay gaps and career progression.
- Michelle Gyimah, Founder of Equality Pays

12:35–13:30pm - Lunch

13:30–14:15pm – Breakout sessions

EDI specialists from trusts in the Midlands and East will lead this interactive session on integrating antiracism with wider EDI strategies in the NHS. With shared examples of how HR teams and trade unions can partner effectively on antiracism and EDI goals, delegates will learn effective strategies for embedding antiracism into policies and practices while progressing broader EDI goals.
- Tendai Ndongwe, Head of Patient Experience, Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
- Harprit Hockley, Director of Culture and OD, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire will share the partnership work they’ve undertaken to support race equality and address LGBTQ+ health inequalities.
- Tracey Robson, Deputy Chief People Officer, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
- Brad Scott, Head of OD and EDI, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
- Leanne Weatherley, Staff side secretary BAOT/UNISON Branch secretary, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
- Farhana Ahmedabadi-Patel, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
This session will share how the NHS can overcome barriers to employment for disadvantaged groups and share information about the work of REACHE, the Refugee and Asylum Seekers Centre for Healthcare Professionals Education.
- Dr Aisha Awan, Director of REACHE, Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust and chair of National Refugee Training Programmes Network, GP and Clinical Lecturer at University of Manchester
The West Midlands based Thrive into work service will share how they support neurodivergent employees while working alongside managers, HR, trade unions and occupational health. Claire Crump will present examples of adjustments that can be put in place and the associated benefits for the organisation and the individual.
- Claire Crump, Retention Specialist in Neurodiversity Services, Thrive into Work, Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

14:15–14:30pm - Networking break

The King's Fund will share how to connect with your purpose, transition from allyship to solidarity, and keep EDI a priority, even in busy times. Anne-Marie Archard will help delegates master the skills of noticing, calling in and out, and overcoming cultural barriers to drive impactful change. This session will get you inspired to lead and make a difference.
- Anne-Marie Archard, Senior Consultant – Leadership and OD, The Kings Fund
Reflections and next steps from our conference co-chairs from the national and regional SPFs.
- Alice Sorby, Director of Employment Relations at the Royal College of Midwives, National SPF member and NHS Staff Council EDIG staff side co-chair
- Liz Cooke, Director of HR and OD, Norfolk Community Health & Care and East of England SPF co-chair

Your registration

If for any reason you cannot use your registered place, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing eventbookings@nhsconfed.org.

Midlands and East SPF conference 2024

General information

Working in partnership to tackle health inequalities and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

Agenda

09:30–10:30am - Registration and networking

11:30–11:45am - Networking break

12:35–13:30pm - Lunch

13:30–14:15pm – Breakout sessions

14:15–14:30pm - Networking break

Your registration

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