Then, now and what the future holds for the NHS at Well Met

The NHS at 70 will the be topic of discussion at a conference for Leeds Community Healthcare professionals and the Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group Partnership on 15 October 2018. It will take place at Cloth Hall Court, the dedicated city centre conference venue of Well Met, the conferencing office of Leeds Becket University.

It is the first collaboration between Community Trust and the Leeds GP confederation which represents Primary Care and will promote integration across all NHS services and is part of an ongoing relationship between the Leeds Community Healthcare Trust and Leeds Beckett University. Over 160 delegates will get the inside track on progress and developments in TB Services, Innovations in training IPC and Police Custody, Sexual Health and Home First, which focusses on keeping patients out of hospital by treating them at home.

Clare Vidler Conference Manager at Well Met, said: “We’re very proud of our close relationship with our NHS practitioners in Leeds and proud to be hosting this event in their historic 70th year.”

Other highlights include a keynote speech from Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, chief executive of the Queen’s Nursing Institute and Ellie Lindsay OBE, founder of the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation in 1995, who will talk about the growth of Leg Clubs, which provide lower limb and leg ulcer management in a non-medical setting, where individuals are treated collectively.

The guest of honour will be Betty Smithson, who started her training as a nurse at Leeds General Infirmary in 1948. Betty was nursing until 1990 where she became Assistant Director for Nurse Education at St James’s and has remained an active and committed member of patient advocacy in Leeds hospitals ever since. Betty will share her thoughts on the birth of the NHS in 1948 and how clinical care has changed over the years.

Nikki Stubbs, interim professional lead for Nursing, said: “We have held a conference for our clinical staff for the last few years and we are pleased that this event, in the 70th anniversary year of the NHS, will be one of celebration of local achievement and national reflection.

“We’re pleased to return to Well Met as we have enjoyed a strong working relationship between Leeds Becket University and Leeds Community Healthcare Trust for many years.”