Conference

Building a Forces-Friendly healthcare sector: driving workforce sustainability together

Name: Building a Forces-Friendly healthcare sector: driving workforce sustainability together
Start: 2026-03-17
End: 2026-03-17

NHS Employers' free to attend, virtual Armed Forces conference.

General information

Time: 17 March 2026 09:30 - 15:45 GMT
Add to calendar: Google iCal
Audience: Open to all

Speakers

Jacqui Bunce
Programme Director Lincolnshire ICB
Dr Bex Bennett
Co-founder Sisters in Service
Clare Walton
DG DMS Air Marshal Ministry of Defence
Ellie Howell
LGBT+ Veterans Community Worker (South West) and OP STERLING Lead Fight With Pride
Rochelle Gonsalves
Senior Practitioner, Widening Participation Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Employers’ annual Armed Forces conference on 17 March 2026, was a key event bringing together leaders, advocates, and partners to share best practice and innovative approaches for creating inclusive employment opportunities and supportive environments for Reservists and the wider Armed Forces community—helping us all drive workforce sustainability.

The event was aimed at HR directors, workforce leaders, Armed Forces Leads, staff experience leads and anyone with an interest in supporting the Armed Forces community.

We heard how NHS trusts are working with Step into Health to enhance opportunities into the NHS though apprenticeships and skills pathways. Discover how healthcare providers are embedding policies and practices that enable Reservists to excel, while meeting operational needs.

Key themes included: 

Fostering a culture that supports the Armed Forces community to thrive within NHS organisations

Sustaining a workforce that supports the ten-year plan through apprenticeships and skills pathways

How transferable skills from Reservists and other members of the Armed Forces community can help fill critical roles across clinical and non-clinical areas.

Exploring how forces-friendly recruitment and retention strategies contribute to meeting the NHS’s long-term workforce sustainability goals.

Agenda

An introduction to the seventh annual NHS Employers Armed Forces Conference, setting the theme for the day and focusing on how Forces-friendly initiatives contribute to delivering the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan and how this strengthens the healthcare sector.

Featuring:
- Caroline Waterfield, Director of Workforce Supply and Employment Practice, NHS Employers
- Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health
- DG DMS, Air Marshal Clare Walton, Ministry of Defence.
Join senior leaders from NHS England and the Ministry of Defence to explore how Forces-friendly programmes—such as Supporting Armed Forces Reservists in Healthcare and Step into Health—are helping to deliver the ambitions of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan.

This session will examine the strategic importance of creating inclusive employment opportunities for the Armed Forces community and how these initiatives support recruitment, retention, and skills development across the NHS. Panellists will share practical insights on embedding these programmes within organisational workforce strategies to build resilience and sustainability for the future.
Featuring:
- Caroline Waterfield, Director of Workforce Supply and Employment Practice, NHS Employers
- Craig de Sousa, Director of Workforce Supply, NHS England
- Andrew Gillian, Consultant General/Upper GI Surgeon, Country Durham and Darlington NHS Trust
- Sharon Stewart, Director of Clinical Governance and Quality Improvement, Circle Health Group.

10:45 - 11.30am

Hear powerful personal stories from Reservists across the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force as they share what it’s like to balance military duties with civilian roles in the NHS.

This session will provide a unique insight into the realities of serving in the Armed Forces while contributing to patient care in healthcare settings. Discover the challenges and rewards of managing dual responsibilities, the transferable skills that strengthen NHS teams, and how supportive policies enable Reservists to flourish in both roles.

Featuring:
- Samuel Grimshaw, Leading Medical Technician, Royal Navy.
This session explores how Armed Forces leavers, veterans, Reservists, and military families can enter the NHS through structured apprenticeship routes and skills pathways. It demonstrates how Step into Health enables employers to translate military experience into NHS competencies, supporting more confident entry into both clinical and nonclinical careers. The session blends strategic insight with lived experience to show how apprenticeships can directly address workforce gaps while widening participation.

Featuring:
- Jane Bunce, Workforce Supply Specialist Senior Manager, NHS England
- Rochelle Gonsalves, Senior Practitioner, Widening Participation, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

11:30 - 11.45am - Break featuring a performance from Service Children's Community Choir

In this exciting key note session join Dr Bex as she discusses her journey from military to medicine. Hear how the difficulties and pitfalls she encountered inspired her to set up Sisters in Service.

12:30 - 1:30pm -Lunch

Join us for an optional wellbeing session including breathwork with Louise Wheeler from NHS Employers

1:30 - 2:15pm

Join colleagues from Defence Relationship Management (DRM) for an insightful update on the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) and the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), and learn why the health sector remains a key priority in strengthening support for the Armed Forces community.

This session will explore how healthcare organisations can align their commitments with national objectives, including the 10-Year Health Plan, by fostering inclusive employment practices for Reservists and other members of the armed forces community.

Featuring:
- Natalie Haynes, Assistant Director, Defence Relationship Management, Ministry of Defence.
This session brings together leading Armed Forces charities to explore how collaborative, community‑centred support can improve outcomes for serving personnel, veterans, and families. Representatives from Fighting With Pride, the Army Families Federation (AFF), Forces Families Jobs (FFJ), Naval Families Federation (NFF) and RAF Families Federation will share insights into their work, emerging needs across the Armed Forces community, and opportunities for deeper partnership with the NHS.

Featuring:
- Sue Gee, Partner Employment and Overseas Support Policy Advisor, RAF Families Federation
- Lucy Richie, Partner Employment and Overseas Support Policy Advisor, Army Families Federation
- Ellie Howell, LGBT+ Veterans Community Worker (South West)and OP STERLING Lead, Fight With Pride.

2:15 - 2:30pm - Break

This session explores how organisational change is shaping the way employers champion and deliver support for the Armed Forces community. Speakers will reflect on the practical realities of integration - from reshaped teams and shifting priorities to new opportunities for collaboration and consistency. The discussion will look ahead to how emerging system models can strengthen pathways, protect the Armed Forces Covenant, and ensure that service personnel, veterans, and families continue to receive inclusive, resilient support throughout transformation.

Featuring:
- Jacqui Bunce, Programme Director, Lincolnshire ICB
- Jane Nicholson, Director of People, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Featuring highlights of the day and reflections from speakers and attendees.

Featuring:
- Caroline Waterfield, Director of Workforce Supply and Employment Practice, NHS Employers.

Building a Forces-Friendly healthcare sector: driving workforce sustainability together

General information

Speakers

Agenda

10:45 - 11.30am

11:30 - 11.45am - Break featuring a performance from Service Children's Community Choir

12:30 - 1:30pm -Lunch

1:30 - 2:15pm

2:15 - 2:30pm - Break

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