The meeting, organised by the Centre for Research Equity (CfRE) at the University of Oxford, brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, and patient advocates to chart a new course for the nation’s healthcare system.
"By breaking down barriers, fostering collaboration, and championing inclusivity, this ground-breaking forum paves the way for a future NHS that values every voice, integrates every profession, and puts patients at the heart of care," said Sheilabye Sobrany, President of the Royal College of Nursing. Her words captured the event’s transformative spirit, emphasising a commitment to creating a healthcare system that truly serves all communities across the UK.
The forum's central message was clear: healthcare is fundamentally about people, not just policies. As the NHS embarks on its ten-year reform journey, this gathering demonstrated a collective dedication to meaningful, inclusive healthcare transformation in England and health systems in the devolved nations. The NHS 10 Year Health Plan is a comprehensive strategy to modernise healthcare delivery in England, focusing on shifting care from hospitals to communities, addressing health inequalities, and transforming service models through digital innovation, prevention, and collaborative engagement with staff, patients, and the public.
The discussions at the forum centred on three critical areas:
Professional leadership
Leaders from medical, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and allied health professions explored how multi-professional leadership can drive systemic transformation within healthcare. Their discussions focused on the critical need for aligned, collaborative leadership approaches that transcend traditional professional boundaries, with the ultimate goal of creating a more integrated, responsive, and patient-centred NHS across the UK.
Practical and innovative NHS solutions
The forum prioritised prevention, digital healthcare, and community-based services. Developing platforms to share best practices and innovative ideas across the UK was highlighted as a key strategy to improve healthcare accessibility and efficiency. In making the NHS more integrated, the participants, galvanised by the patient voice, advocated for the establishment of national cross-professional and cross-country platforms that allow for real-time knowledge-sharing and innovation dissemination, promoting community-based healthcare and unified digital services.
Prioritising inclusive research UK-wide
A major focus was ensuring medical research includes diverse and underserved populations. By improving data collection and community engagement, researchers can develop more relevant and impactful healthcare interventions that address health and care inequalities.
Ben Coleman, MP speaking at the event
The forum produced a comprehensive report with strategic recommendations aimed at informing the government’s ten-year NHS reform consultation. The report emphasises multi-professional collaboration and patient-centred integrated healthcare systems to transform healthcare delivery across the UK.
“At a time of immense challenge for healthcare systems, this was a unique opportunity to bring together leaders and experts from a wide range of disciplines and specialties. The resulting report shows an encouraging shared mutual determination to make a real difference for citizens and patients," commented Sir David Haslam CBE, Past Chair of NICE, Past President RCGP.
The forum also highlighted the importance of working across the four UK nations, recognising both shared challenges and regional nuances in healthcare delivery. “We acknowledge that equitable healthcare doesn’t happen in isolation, it happens through closer collaboration and better understanding between professionals and with the diverse communities they serve. The forum was the first-of-its kind where diverse healthcare professionals can share insights, challenge existing paradigms, and co-develop solutions. We are heading a step towards a more integrated, equitable healthcare ecosystem that genuinely responds to the complex needs of our diverse population,” said Professor Mahendra Patel OBE, Director of the CfRE.
Healthcare professionals alongside regulators at the event pledged to take forward several key initiatives. Recommendations from the forum include:
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Developing national leadership platforms that facilitate cross-country collaboration across healthcare disciplines with a bottom-up and top-down approach
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Investing in digital infrastructure and community-based healthcare services
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Establishing research inclusivity frameworks through the respective healthcare regulators for all healthcare professions to promote and ensure diverse representation
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Encouraging and increasing support for greater multi-professional collaboration and engagement
This forum marks a significant milestone in the NHS’s ongoing transformation and the key objectives of health systems in the devolved nations. By bringing together an august and diverse audience of healthcare professionals together with patient and community organisations and focusing on actionable solutions, the event lays significant groundwork for a more integrated, patient-centred healthcare system.
The full report from the Parliamentary Multidisciplinary and Multi-professional Healthcare Forum provides deeper insights into the forum’s discussions and recommendations. A summary report is available here for a quick overview.
Top Left: Northern Ireland Chief Scientific Adviser on main podium, Top Right: Prof Margret Ikpoh, Bottom Left: Prof Mahendra Patel, Bottom Right: Patient Voice representation