NHS ConfedExpo 2025: What are the key talking points likely to be?
- Lloyd Price
- May 12
- 5 min read
NHS ConfedExpo 2025: What are the key talking points likely to be?
The NHS ConfedExpo 2025, scheduled for June 11–12 at Manchester Central, is a flagship event for UK health and care leaders, organized by the NHS Confederation and NHS England. It will attract over 5,000 delegates to discuss transformative strategies for the NHS.
Drawing on the 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance, the ICB Model Blueprint, and your interests in Polypills, cardiovascular innovation and backend automation, here are the key talking points likely to front and centre of mind for attendee's, updated to reflect the latest NHS guidance and funding context:
1. Digital Transformation and Funding Challenges
Scaling digital health amidst financial constraints, aligning with the 10 Year Health Plan’s analogue-to-digital shift. Key Discussions:
AI and Automation: Adoption of AI for backend processes like claims processing (e.g., Olive’s 98% accuracy), medical coding, and scheduling (e.g., Qventus’s OR optimisation), driven by the 2025/26 Guidance’s 4% productivity target.
Funding Gap: Addressing the £21 billion digitisation shortfall (per Health Foundation, May 2025) with only £4.9 billion in operational capital and £3.4 billion in prior tech funding. Sessions may explore private partnerships or Unified Tech Fund (UTF) expansion.
Electronic Patient Records (EPRs): Achieving universal EPR coverage by March 2025, supported by £2 billion in multi-year funding, and integrating with the NHS App as the “digital front door.”
Cybersecurity: Balancing investments in cyber resilience (funded nationally) with other digital priorities, given rising threats.
Exhibitor Showcases: Companies like Graphnet Health and Viz.ai may demo Federated Data Platform (FDP) applications and AI diagnostics for cardiovascular care.
The ICB Model Blueprint’s shift of digital responsibilities to providers will spark debates on equitable adoption, with ICBs leveraging FDP and UTF to meet productivity goals.
2. Prevention and Cardiovascular Innovation
Shifting to proactive care models, emphasising primary prevention and community-based services.Key Discussions:
Polypills: Scaling polypill use (e.g., CNIC-Polypill) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, supported by ICBs’ population health strategies in the 2025/26 Guidance. Polypills’ 33% mortality reduction and cost-effectiveness (0.2–2.8 days’ wages monthly) align with NHS equity goals.
Wearables and AI Diagnostics: Integrating wearables (e.g., Masimo W1) and AI tools (e.g., MultiplAI Health’s RNA tests) for early CVD detection, funded through ICB allocations or UTF.
Food-as-Medicine: Policy support for lifestyle interventions, inspired by global HealthTech trends, to reduce CVD burden.
Case Studies: Initiatives like One Gloucestershire ICB’s prevention programs may highlight digital-enabled CVD care.
The 10 Year Health Plan’s illness-to-prevention focus and ICB-led neighbourhood health models will drive discussions on affordable, scalable solutions like Polypills and 3D-printed medications.
3. Integrated Care and System Collaboration
Strengthening Integrated Care Systems (ICBs and ICPs) to deliver seamless care across health, social care, and local government. Key Discussions:
ICB Strategic Commissioning: The ICB Model Blueprint positions ICBs as strategic planners, merging functions to optimise acute and primary care. Sessions will explore ICBs’ role in refreshing Joint Forward Plans by March 2025.
Partnerships: Collaborations with local authorities and voluntary sectors to address social determinants, building on 2024’s Social Care Zone.
Case Studies: North East North Cumbria ICB or Surrey Heartlands may showcase integrated pathways, potentially including polypill distribution.
The 2025/26 Guidance emphasises shared outcomes under section 75 of the NHS Act, making integration a core ConfedExpo theme.
4. Workforce Sustainability and Wellbeing
Tackling shortages, burnout, and training needs to support a resilient workforce. Key Discussions:
Retention Strategies: Reducing agency costs by 30% and bank use by 10% (per 2025/26 Guidance), alongside flexible working and international recruitment.
Up-skillling for Digital: Training staff to use AI and automation tools, with CPD opportunities at the conference.
Wellbeing: Addressing low staff morale (45% felt valued in 2023) through mental health support and workload reduction via automation.
Case Studies: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s reservist support may inspire workforce engagement models.
The NHS workforce plan and ICB productivity targets will prioritise automation to ease administrative burdens, a key discussion point.
5. Health Inequalities and Population Health
Reducing disparities through data-driven, equitable care delivery. Key Discussions:
ICB-Led Equity: Using FDP and population health data to target deprived areas, as mandated by the 2025/26 Guidance. Only 20% of ICB leaders were confident in their equity strategies in 2023, signaling a focus area.
Genomics and Biotech: Personalising care via genetic profiling, aligning with Matthew Taylor’s 2024 cancer treatment remarks.
Social Determinants: Partnerships to address housing and education, critical for CVD prevention in underserved groups.
The 10 Year Health Plan’s equity goals will amplify ICB-led initiatives, with Polypills as a cost-effective tool for high-risk populations.
6. Financial Sustainability and Efficiency
Delivering value under tight budgets, with ICBs achieving breakeven positions. Key Discussions:
Efficiency Targets: The 2025/26 Guidance’s 4% productivity and 1% cost reduction goals drive automation and low-value activity cuts.
Capital Constraints: With £4.9 billion operational capital and £750 million for estates safety, ICBs must prioritise high-ROI digital projects like FDP over new builds.
Devolution Funding: South Yorkshire’s devolved model may inspire discussions on flexible funding.
Social Value: Articulating the NHS’s £150 billion economic impact, a recurring ConfedExpo theme.
Funding debates will explore bridging the £21 billion digitization gap, impacting automation and CVD innovation adoption.
Final Thoughts
NHS ConfedExpo 2025 will reflect the 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance and ICB Model Blueprint, emphasising digital transformation, prevention, and integration within a constrained £4.9 billion capital budget.
Polypills and cardiovascular HealthTech will feature prominently in prevention talks, while backend automation (e.g., AI for claims, scheduling) will address productivity goals.
Funding challenges, with a £21 billion digitisation gap, will drive debates on prioritising high-impact innovations.
The event will align with the 10 Year Health Plan’s reform agenda, offering actionable insights for ICBs and providers.
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