NHS Employers annual conference and exhibition 2007

Leading workforce thinking, NHS Employers annual conference and exhibition 2007 took place from 9-11 October in Birmingham. At a time when the NHS is at the centre of the political debate and workforce at the centre of the NHS agenda, more than 1500 delegates, speakers, exhibitors and supporters came together to tackle the big issues. Read the latest news and listen to some of the keynote speeches on this website.

Giving you the power to deliver

Thursday 11 October

Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Health

Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP addressed conference today with the message that HR is absolutely essential to delivering the Darzi vision for the health service. He said the two major challenges were ensuring that the NHS recruits and retains the best staff and promoting a culture of innovation across the NHS.

"Now we must give you the power to deliver improvement, managed locally with strong support from government," he said.

In response to questions, he urged all trusts to read the Healthcare Commission report into the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, saying that the problem was "inexcusable in terms of leadership" but not indicative of what's happening in the NHS as a whole.

Hear the conference podcasts and read the speech text on the speeches and podcasts page.

A health service to be proud of

Wednesday 10 October

Chief Executive of the NHS in England, David Nicholson

Chief Executive of the NHS in England David Nicholson said at conference today that with yesterday's Comprehensive Spending Review announcement and Ara Darzi's review, the NHS now has a fantastic opportunity to make a health service we can all be proud of.

"When you look at the things that we want to achieve over the next few years it seems to me that four per cent is OK for what we want to do," he told Ed Stourton in his question and answer session.

He said that there had been some remarkable achievements over the last few years and thanked delegates for their efforts.

Hear the podcast on the speeches and podcasts page.

Transforming the service

Tuesday 9 October

Director General of Workforce, DH, Clare Chapman

Steve Barnett, Director of NHS Employers and Clare Chapman, Director General of Workforce for the Department of Health opened the conference today with positive visions for the future of the NHS workforce as it emerges from several very tough years. Clare Chapman stressed that workforce leaders can make a big difference in improving lives for patients, the public and staff. Steve Barnett demonstrated the enthusiasm staff have for working in the NHS and talked about the need to work in partnership to re-engage the workforce and jointly overcome challenges such as MMC/MTAS.

Hear the podcasts and read the speech text on the speeches and podcasts page.

Date for your diary

Next year's conference will be held from 4 to 6 November 2008 at the ICC in Birmingham.

The exhibition

The exhibition formed an integral part of this event, complementing the themes of the sessions and providing delegates with further opportunities to learn, network and gather valuable information. View a full list of exhibitors