Speaking in the opening plenary, Clare Chapman used the analogy of the Olympics to emphasise the amount of preparation the NHS needs to do now to be ready for flatter budgets in the years from 2011.
She acknowledged that meeting efficiency savings in the order of £15-20 billion was a very significant challenge, especially alongside the demands of changing demographics, increasing expectations, and keeping up with breakthroughs in technology. She said five things are really important:
- changing mindsets
- a sense of urgency
- ensuring HR is playing its role in ensuring the sustainability of change
- working across boundaries
- ensuring staff wellness.
She emphasised the importance of the NHS Constitution, saying it is about what the NHS was founded for and the deal between public, the patients and staff. She also highlighted the Boorman Review of Health and Wellbeing, saying that if we can't demonstrate to the public that we can take carre of the health of our own staff, how can say we're able to take care of public health.
To workforce leaders she said that if they are asking managers and clinicians to do things that may be new to them, they need to be available and to support and equip them with the skills they need. She said: "We need to be building ourselves to really make sure that we can be the coaches of the athletes."
Watch Clare Chapman's speech online