Beyond quick fixes: how health and care can move forward
Health and care is full of people doing their best in a system that’s under huge pressure. But we can’t keep papering over the cracks. It’s time to stop pretending that small fixes are enough and start having honest conversations about the big choices ahead, especially now with the new 10 Year Health Plan on the table. The King’s Fund is here to support you through it all, with events, insights and practical opportunities designed to help you navigate these challenges. Take a look at what’s coming up and find the right support for your role, interests and needs.
5–6 November | In-person event
The King's Fund annual conference 2025: courage, honesty and the future
We're excited to invite you to our annual conference 2025, which is all about courage, honesty and the future. Courage to face hard truths. Honesty about what’s working and what isn’t. And a future that we shape together, not one that happens to us. Over two days, we’ll hear from national leaders, frontline staff and people driving change in their communities. We’ll talk about what the public really wants, what reform needs to look like, and how we can build a system that works better, not just for now but for the long haul. Expect challenge, inspiration and connection – and leave with a clearer view of what’s possible.
Blog post
Overseas recruitment: the ‘short-term fix’ for the social care workforce that is now at an end
Vacancy rates in adult social care are finally falling, but is the crisis really over? In his recent blog, Senior Fellow for Social Care Simon Bottery highlights how overseas recruitment offered short-term relief but didn’t fix poor pay, tough conditions or the shrinking domestic workforce. With 111,000 vacancies still unfilled, the pressure is far from over.
At our annual conference, Simon will be joined by Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE to take that conversation further. What’s the honest conversation we need to have? How do we change public attitudes and make a stronger case for reform?
Sponsor or exhibit at our autumn events
Put your organisation at the heart of the conversations shaping health and care. Our in-person conferences offer a unique opportunity to connect face to face with senior leaders, policy-makers and practitioners in our central London venue. We’re always keen to hear from organisations interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at our events, whether featured in this newsletter or listed on our website. To find out more about our audience and the range of partnership opportunities available, get in touch at partnerships@kingsfund.org.uk.
Blog post
Why wait? Why community settings should be a good starting place for physician assistant careers
A recent blog by Senior Fellow Beccy Baird raises concerns about a recommendation in the Leng review requiring newly qualified physician assistants to spend two years in hospital settings before working in primary or community care. This risks reinforcing outdated hierarchies and delaying vital early-career experience in the community. If we’re serious about shifting care closer to home, we need to invest in supervision and support outside hospitals and make community roles a first step, not a fallback.
14 October | In-person event
Moving care closer to home: making the shift a reality
The issue of physician assistant careers raised by Beccy is just one example of the deeper systemic barriers that have held back progress for over 30 years. At our upcoming Moving care closer to home event, we’ll explore the ‘wicked problems’ that have prevented a nationwide shift to primary and community care and ask what it will really take to overcome them.
Exclusive offer
Planning to attend more than one of our 10 Year Health Plan events? Get 25% off the others:
Your discount code will be in your booking confirmation.
Long read
From burnout to belief: reflections on reforming the NHS from within
This powerful long read by our Senior Consultant Sharon Nash shares a raw frontline perspective on the emotional and moral toll faced by NHS staff, and why staff wellbeing must become the foundation of reform, not a footnote. Drawing on real stories and data, it explores the deeper systemic issues behind burnout and argues that only bold, compassionate leadership and a sustained cultural shift can deliver the ambitions of the 10 Year Health Plan. A must read for anyone interested in the future of health and care.
9 September | In-person event
Culture is the key: supporting staff to deliver the 10 Year Health Plan
We’ll be picking up many of the critical themes Sharon raises in our latest long read at our 10 Year Health Plan conference on 9 September. Don’t miss the session ‘Courage to change: the culture needed to support people and leaders’, which explores what it really takes to lead with compassion in a system under pressure. The panel will discuss how autonomy, belonging and contribution are essential to supporting staff, and why creating the right cultural conditions is non-negotiable for change.
10-week leadership programme
Leading through complexity
If the themes of culture, leadership and workforce at our 10 Year Health Plan conference resonate with your day-to-day challenges, check out Leading Through Complexity. Starting this September, this short practical course blends systems thinking, behavioural science and collaboration. It’s designed for mid-level or aspiring senior leaders who want to build confidence and make tangible progress on a specific challenge in their role.
Kind regards,
The King’s Fund