The 2019 HEFMA Leadership Forum, hosted by the Trent Branch, moves to a new venue this year, Doncaster Racecourse, on May 16 & 17. We’re under starters orders and ready for an impressive line-up of speakers tackling a range of topics that are of vital importance to NHS organisations today. The accompanying trade show will highlight new innovations from suppliers. Pulse takes a look at some of the highlights.
Last year’s Forum focused on resilience, which, amongst other definitions, means to be flexible. This year’s theme builds on that core requirement, as the NHS now needs to deliver on the Long Term Plan, escalating a move to integrated care with more services provided in the community and greater use of technology and digitisation to help achieve that. This will involve a re-examination of services and how they are provided – a process that should already be well established through the work of the STPs.
It will also challenge the workforce to develop new skills, seek out different ways of providing services and encourage wider collaboration and partnership working. This is at a time when many Trusts are facing problems recruiting and retaining skilled staff and the uncertainty over Brexit threatens to exacerbate the challenge even further.
The programme
The 2019 Forum host is Human Resources (HR) expert Dean Royles. Dean has been a highly regarded and leading figure in HR within the NHS for nearly two decades. He now provides strategic advice and leadership development to organisations and boards.
A former Chief Executive of NHS Employers, Dean joined Leeds Teaching Hospitals in 2014 as Executive Director of HR and OD. Other notable positions have included Director of Workforce and Education at NHS North West and Deputy Director of Workforce for the NHS at the Department of Health.
Dean told us: “During my time with the NHS I had some close working relationships with colleagues from Estates and Facilities. I know these are some of the most demanding jobs and they are crucial to the efficient and safe running of the NHS. I also know that the professionals working in Estates and Facilities are often under appreciated. So for me it’s great to be involved in the 2019 HEFMA Forum to help promote the great work that goes on every day and to see people networking and sharing ideas.”
NHS Improvement will have a strong presence throughout the Forum. Simon Corben, Director and Operational Lead, Estates & Facilities, will provide a keynote address around the activities of NHSI as well as current and new initiatives. Fiona Daly, National Sustainability and EFM Workforce lead, will also talk about the NHS workforce, including an overview of the EFM workforce, the national strategy, results of the recent survey and the Workforce Implementation Plan.
NHS Improvement will have a stand within the trade show with several team members available to discuss any issues or topics delegates may wish to raise with them.
Changing mindsets will be the theme of the presentation from Mark Bawden, a former performance psychologist and co-founder of Mindflick®. Mark has applied his ‘strength-based approach’ to performance enhancement throughout Olympic sport and has contributed to five Olympic Games, including as Team GB Head Psychologist at the London 2012 Games.
The workforce theme continues with Melissa Ewbank, Head of Resourcing at Kier Group. Melissa leads on recruitment and strategic workforce planning, a role that focuses on understanding Kier’s future workforce requirements to inform how to attract and retain the best talent for the company. She will outline how Kier responds to strategic workforce challenges and share insight around the company’s approach to and experience of addressing these.
Rob Webster, CEO of South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, will turn the spotlight onto the role of the estate in health systems. Rob is also lead Chief Executive for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Integrated Care System, in which role he is bringing together West Yorkshire’s health and care leaders, organisation and communities to develop local plans for improved health, care and finances over the next five years.
Dr Kirsty Edmondson-Jones, Director of Estates and Facilities at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Sheffield Hallam University last year for her ground-breaking research into a potentially new field of bio-engineering. She will discuss her innovative study to devise a novel intervention to artificially entrain the circadian rhythm. This so-called ‘hacking the body clock’ could potentially be used to improve a range of issues caused by its disruption. The focus so far has been on malnutrition among dementia patients but it is believed it could have far-reaching applications.
Breakout sessions
Paul Smith is Head of Asset Management at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. For two years he has led the Rotherham WorkSmart programme; a £60m scheme covering all aspects of accommodation, HR, IT, communication and change management to achieve a more productive and resilient workforce using just half the workstations in a new, purpose-built office. He will outline the change journey that Rotherham went through to deliver the people and accommodation side of the WorkSmart programme, resulting in a fully agile and more efficient workforce.
Dr Paul Wyton is a Principal Lecturer in Facilities Management and Faculty Lead for Higher Degree Apprenticeships at the Sheffield Business School. He is a strong believer in the need to keep educational delivery current and is also involved in applied research and consultancy projects. He will cover Higher Degree Apprenticeships in FM and Estates Management, outline some Degree apprenticeships that may be relevant and discuss the use of the apprenticeship levy.
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