“Shaping the Future” will be the theme of a two-day conference and exhibition being staged by the Institute’s Northern Ireland Branch later this month at the Marine Court Hotel in Bangor.
Being held from 26-27 May, the conference will feature an opening address and keynote speech from Michael McGimpsey, Minister for Health, Social Services, and Public Safety, in the Northern Ireland Executive, with other high profile speakers including John Keanie, chairperson of The Patient and Client Council, examining “future challenges”; Glen Houston, chief executive of the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, looking at the RQIA and its contribution to healthcare; RQIA director of operations Phelim Quinn, considering “some of the organisation’s experiences so far”, and IHEEM’s new president, and director of Health Facilities Scotland, Paul Kingsmore, who will examine the topic, “Safe by Design”. Among the subjects covered during the conference will be “sustainability”; “healthcare risk – sharing the experience”; “healthcare design through the ages”; and “Looking to the future”, where among speakers will be Darryn Kerr, director of estates and facilities at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and chairman of IHEEM’s Executive Committee. Also providing perspectives will be the heads of estates at the Belfast HSC Trust, the South Eastern HSC Trust, the Southern HSC Trust, the Western HSC Trust, and the Northern HSC Trust, while the “Healthcare risk” session will see Graham Biggars, of the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, discuss some of the learnings gained during floods in the region over the past few years. This year’s conference dinner and charity auction takes place on 26 May, while the accompanying exhibition will include exhibitors “from at least 20 companies whose interests are related to the conference theme”. For more information contact Northern Ireland Branch secretary Joanna Dougherty. T: 028 90 903290; email: joanna.dougherty@belfasttrust.hscni.net
