Accelerating change through education – thoughts on our upcoming conference
UCLPartners is currently preparing its annual education conference which is to be held at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on Wednesday 6 December.
In this blog, Tim Gluck, Associate Director of Education, outlines what the conference can offer delegates and discusses the challenges and rewards of running the event.
What is the conference about?
This year’s theme is ‘Education as a vehicle for change’. It may sound ambitious as an idea, but it encapsulates what we are hoping our education network can do, and we hope it will stimulate discussion. The main themes are interprofessional education, education in new care models, and education across boundaries; across health and social care, primary and secondary care, and between professions. We also have themes of leadership education and digital education within the conference.
It seems to me that we spend a lot of time talking about the new structures and working relationships within the NHS, then fail to train our junior staff and students to work in new ways. The conference will seek to look at how education can be central to making our health and social care professionals fit for the future NHS.
The conference builds on the successful themes from the last few years; on patient safety in education in 2014, educating for person centred care in 2015, and innovation through partnership last year.
Who is your target audience?
We are looking to attract all health and social care professionals with an interest in education, both trainers and trainees. We are particularly keen to attract a good mixture of health professionals across the whole spread from medical to allied health professionals, and nurses and social care professionals.
How is the programme planning going?
Very well! We have now confirmed the whole programme and have some very exciting speakers for the platform presentations, and some excellent workshops planned (if I say so myself). Workshops will be repeated before and after lunch, giving people a choice of two.
What are the possibilities for networking?
The workshops are a great opportunity to meet others with an interest in similar areas, plus there will be lots of time for networking over coffee and whilst browsing the poster section. We hope that the conference will lead to the exchange of ideas and innovations which will support the educational networks of the future within the UCLPartners’ region and beyond.
What are you most looking forward to about the day?
Going to the pub at the end.
What would mean the day is going well?
It is difficult to choose highlights, but here are two. Firstly, the team from the Royal London Hospital will be talking about the importance of clinical leadership in crisis situations, and what they learned from the London Bridge attacks, which I hope will bring some new perspective on leadership education, and an insight into how we emerge from extremely challenging events like these. Secondly, the presentation on what works well in interprofessional education, and what doesn’t, by Prof Richard Pitt, looks like it will give us lots of food for thought.
What will the conference poet be doing and why is he there?
I am pleased to have invited Matt Harvey, a performance poet, to contribute to the day. He writes (I think) funny and very insightful work on a whole variety of areas. He is going to perform in a 15-minute slot in the morning, and then put some new work together with the help of delegates during the day. I hope that he makes people think as well as laugh. We have had performances in the past two conferences which went down very well- ‘chickenshed’ theatre company on person centred care in 2015, and ‘performing medicine in 2016’ making us think about the demands of a day at work how we approach preparing for this. I am hoping that Matt will continue this mini-tradition of making us think in a different way.
Where can I register?
I thought you’d never ask. You can register here.
Book now to avoid disappointment!