OD in the NHS 2026: Confidence in change

Presence, awareness and human connection in OD work and beyond

Emma Donaldson‑Feilder, Coaching and Occupational Psychologist

An experiential introduction to Relational Mindfulness practices that help practitioners cultivate presence, compassion and courageous collaboration. This optional session explored how deeper human connection can support clarity, stability and confidence amidst change, as well as strengthen the effectiveness of OD and coaching interventions.

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Welcome and introduction

Dr Carly Telford, Assistant Director of OD, NHS Employers

Our Do OD programme lead welcomed delegates to the event and outlined the key themes and ambitions for the day ahead. 

Main stage session 1: The future of OD

Dr Linda Holbeche, The Holbeche Partnership

Rapid change, emerging technologies and shifting workforce expectations are redefining organisation development. Dr Holbeche explored how OD must evolve from episodic interventions to a continuous, strategic capability, and what this means for NHS organisations navigating complexity, AI adoption, new operating models and workforce transformation. A future‑focused session offering practical insights into the skills, strategies and mindsets OD practitioners need to thrive.

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Let’s talk teams: The good, the bad and the increasingly messy 

Dr Shona Brown, Affina OD Associate Consultant, and John Herring, Affina OD Associate Consultant
Led by our event sponsor, Affina OD, this session offered an open, relaxed space for OD practitioners to unpack what’s really happening in teams and share practical, evidence-based strategies for better collaboration.

Relational and restorative practice: Doing things differently and better

Carolyn Wright, Janette Thorpe and Sally Comber, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT)
UHMBT colleagues shared their journey embedding restorative and relational approaches since 2022, from repairing relationships after conflict to building trust and compassion across teams. This session offered practical insights, examples and learning for Trusts exploring relational leadership and culture change.

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OD where no one is in charge: Working across systems

Karen Kirk - Head of Learning and Improvement, Boost Learning and Improvement Community, NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board 
Delivering the NHS 10 Year Plan depends less on structures and more on how people and organisations work together across boundaries. This workshop explored why OD is essential in a system context, not just within organisations. As care increasingly happens at neighbourhood and place level, OD becomes the connective tissue that enables collaboration, shared decision making, trust and learning across multiple organisations, professions and sectors. This interactive, practical session offered participants clear approaches they can use to support system working, neighbourhood delivery and sustainable change. 

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The future is analogue?

Diane Allton – Organisation Development Manager and Analogue Alchemist 
In a world of digital this and AI that, this low-fidelity, digital-free session drew colleagues together to create magical connection, spark creative thinking and embrace analogue experiments. Delegates were invited to work on genuine organisational challenges as teams of analogue AI agents, incorporating group work, ideation stations and chocolate. 

Main stage session 2: Your place in the 10 year plan

John Herring, Director in integrated care

This session focused squarely on OD's place in the 10 year plan: exploring what organisation development and design can bring to organisations, systemic working and the future of health and care.

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Hear more from John in his post-conference blog: Addressing the five giants in the 10 Year Plan.

Organisational anxiety: Learning from a year-long action research project

Naja Felter, Senior Consultant, and Kiran Chauhan, Senior Consultant, The King’s Fund 
In this interactive session, Naja and Kiran introduced findings from the action research project they convened in 2024/25 which aimed to revisit Isabel Menzies Lyth’s ideas about social defences and the containment of organisational anxiety. Phase two of this work is now underway, and they explored the role of OD practitioners in working with these ideas in highly managerialist environments. 

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Rethinking contracting, let's have a cuppa instead

Brad Scott, Interim Deputy Chief People Officer, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group
Farhana Ahmedabadi‑Patel, Interim Head of Organisational Development and Inclusion, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group
Come for a cuppa, stay for the conversation: this workshop invited delegates to rethink contracting and to explore what’s quietly decided long before the work begins.

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Noise, rhythm and reality: Harnessing NHS chaos through team soundscapes

Charlotte Andrews, Associate Director Learning and Wellbeing, Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
This workshop used the principles of soundscapes to explore how teams work together in high‑pressure environments. Through non‑verbal communication, rhythm and shared sound, participants experienced the chaos often felt in the NHS, and learned how to tune into one another to create calm. The session aimed to build trust, improve active listening and demonstrate how synchronisation and real‑time adjustment to others can reduce anxiety and strengthen collaboration across teams.

Rethinking OD for AI‑enabled organisations: Insights from an implementation journey

Hailey McGlynn, Health Innovation Manchester
Drawing on a real organisational case study, this session shared insights into how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming culture, service delivery and organisational design, challenging OD professionals to reimage their role in this shift and offering practical insights that participants can adapt and apply within their own organisations as AI becomes embedded in everyday work. 

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Main stage session 3: Leading through change: Staying agile, focused and effective

John Amaechi, Organisational psychologist

Change can be relentless but it doesn't have to be destabilising. Drawing on practical insights and science-backed strategies, this keynote aimed to equip OD colleagues with the tools to stay agile, focused and effective, even when everything around is shifting.

Summary and close

Dr Carly Telford, Assistant Director of OD, NHS Employers

Reflections, insights and learning from the day, with thoughts on next steps for the challenges ahead.