NHS 10 Year Plan: What is needed to deliver a sustainable workforce?

Join King’s Health Partners and the Policy Institute at King’s College London for an evening panel event exploring the NHS 10 Year Plan: What is needed to deliver a sustainable workforce? on Thursday 9 July 2026 at the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering.

Bringing together policymakers, clinical leaders, healthcare professionals, academics, and system partners, the discussion will respond to the forthcoming NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan and examine practical actions to build a future-ready, compassionate workforce.

The evening will be opened by Lord Ajay Kakkar, Chairman, King’s Health Partners, followed by a keynote address from Lord Simon Stevens, Chair of King's College Council.

Panel 1: Skills for a sustainable health and care system. Chair: Prof Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute, King’s College London

• Prof Irene Higginson, Professor of Palliative Care and Policy; Director of the Better Health & Care Hub, King's College London
• Cheryl Samuels, Director of People & Culture, Evelina London, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS FT
• Prof Richard Harding, Executive Dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London
• Dr Alex Deng, Director, NHS Fellowship in Clinical AI; Director, NHS Genomic AI Network, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS FT
• Ade Odunlade, interim Chief Executive, South London and Maudsley NHS FT

Panel 2: University health partnerships - our role in creating an equitable workforce. Chair: Crystal Akass, Chief People Officer, South East London ICB and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS FT.

• Dr Mamta Shetty Vaidya, Chief Medical Officer, King's College Hospital NHS FT
• Prof Annette Boaz, Professor of Health and Social Care; Director, NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit; Better Health & Care Hub Co-director, King's College London
• Prof Emily Williams, Vice Dean (People & Culture), Professor of Diversity, Development & Inclusion, King's College London
• Jessica Odili, Medical Student, University of Sheffield, and *We Rise Alumna

• Arrival from 5:30pm for a prompt start
• 6pm - 7:50pm Panel event
• 7:50pm - 8:30pm Drinks reception and networking

*We Rise is a South London-based initiative supporting young people from underrepresented backgrounds into careers in science and healthcare, bringing an important community perspective on widening participation.