‘Survive, strive and thrive’ is the theme

HefmA ((The Health Estates and Facilities Management Association), a professional body that claims to represent 350 English NHS Trusts, and whose members provide services supporting best patient care in areas ranging from food and nutrition to building maintenance and construction, says of this year’s event: “All governments since 1948 have invested in real terms in the healthcare sector, but the next comprehensive spending review could see investment go down in real terms. “With increasing demands on the NHS, how can we ensure that we are not only able to meet the challenge, but also become the healthcare provider of choice to our local communities? The conference programme will bring together experts to share their vast knowledge of driving change and service improvement in a demanding, everchanging, environment.” The 2010 conference chair, Nigel Grinstead, is chief executive of the About Health Group, which HefmA describes as “specialising in working with groups of clinicians who want to provide high quality services under contract to the NHS”. With over 20 years’ experience in the UK health and care sector, he has contributed to workshops and policy sessions for the Department of Health, the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Cabinet Office. The speaker line-up will also include chief executive of the County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Stephen Eames, discussing a work programme he initiated called “Seizing the Future”, which “aims to provide efficient and effective services across a challenging and competitive health economy”; Graham Jacob, hospital cleaning lead, National Patient Safety Agency, and Dr Liz Jones, head of patient environment at the Department of Health, explaining the development of the Publicly Available Specification for hospital cleanliness, and Caroline Lecko, nutrition lead, National Patient Safety Agency, examining the work programmes now under way to improve the provision of food and nutrition to hospital patients. Meanwhile Professor Alan Maynard, professor of health economics at the University of York, will explore healthcare reform and evidence-based policy and their impact on future healthcare provision.