Agenda
Exact timings of the agenda are still be confirmed, and is subject to change as we approach the event date.
| 12:00 | Registration & Lunch |
| 13:00 | Welcome and introduction As the NHS enters a period of significant political and structural change, this opening keynote will set out the forces shaping the service in 2027–28. From changing national leadership and accountability to financial pressures and shifting commissioning responsibilities, what will define the year ahead - and what does the private sector need to understand about where NHS priorities, decisions and investment are heading. Alastair McLellan - HSJ Editor |
| 14:00 | Stream 1: How Andy Burnham’s premiership and the abolition of NHS England will change the service’s priorities. The NHS enters 2027 under a new prime minister and health secretary, while simultaneously undergoing one of the biggest changes to its national leadership for more than a decade. The Health Bill provides for the abolition of NHS England, with its functions moving either into a restructured DHSC or elsewhere in the health system. At the same time, ICBs are being reshaped as strategic commissioners, with boundary changes designed to bring them closer to strategic authority footprints. This session will examine how these reforms are changing where power, accountability and decision-making sit across the NHS - and how the Burnham government could alter the direction or pace of reforms inherited from its predecessor. Dave West - Deputy Editor, and Henry Anderson - Senior Correspondent and Nick Kituno - Senior Correspondent |
| Stream 2: What will drive the decision making of NHS providers in 2027-28? From April 2026, NHS trusts have been required to deliver financial balance as individual organisations, replacing the previous system-level breakeven approach. Alongside this tighter organisational accountability, the NHS reform programme is seeking to revive the foundation trust model and introduce greater earned autonomy for high-performing providers. For provider boards, this creates a difficult balance between financial performance, operational delivery and longer-term transformation. This session will examine the pressures most likely to shape provider decisions in 2027–28 and what greater autonomy - alongside stronger consequences for financial and performance failure - will mean in practice. James Illman - Bureau Chief, Annabelle Collins - Deputy Bureau Chief and Emily Townsend - Senior Correspondent | |
| Stream 3: What will the NHS spend its money on – and with who - in 2027-28? The NHS commissioning landscape is undergoing significant change. Subject to parliamentary approval, most of NHS England's remaining direct commissioning responsibilities are expected to transfer to ICBs from April 2027, reinforcing their role as strategic commissioners. At the same time, the restructured DHSC will take responsibility for national functions including financial oversight, data and digital, workforce and elements of medicines policy. These changes will affect not only how NHS funding flows, but who controls it and where purchasing decisions are made. This session will examine the emerging funding and commissioning landscape for 2027–28, where investment is likely to be prioritised, and what changing responsibilities mean for organisations selling into the NHS. Ben Clover - Bureau Chief, Jack Serle - Senior Correspondent and Zoe Tidman - Senior Correspondent | |
| 15:00 | Coffee Break |
| 15:15 | Stream 1: How Andy Burnham’s premiership and the abolition of NHS England will change the service’s priorities. Dave West - Deputy Editor, Henry Anderson - Senior Correspondent and Nick Kituno - Senior Correspondent |
| Stream 2: What will drive the decision making of NHS providers in 2027-28? James Illman - Bureau Chief, Annabelle Collins - Deputy Bureau Chief and Emily Townsend - Senior Correspondent | |
| Stream 3: What will the NHS spend its money on – and with who - in 2027-28? Ben Clover - Bureau Chief, Jack Serle - Senior Correspondents and Zoe Tidman - Senior Correspondents | |
| 16:15 | Networking Drinks Reception |
| 17:15 | Conference end |
Event enquiries:
You can reach out to the HSJ Intelligence team on hsj.intelligence@hsjinformation.co.uk and we'll be happy to answer any questions about the event