Form the conference chair Cathy Newman.

An update on work to develop the new commissioning system, plus a chance to ask questions directly of the National Director for Commissioning Development Dame Barbara Hakin.  The session will cover areas such as, CCG authorisation, CSS development and assessment and the development of the rules hand guidance which will support the system in the future such as Commissioning Outcomes Framework and Quality Premium.

The experiences of organisations addressing difficult financial circumstances over the last five years present essential learning for both new commissioners and existing providers - consolidating this learning is important while the organisational memory still exists.

The NHS Confederation, Audit Commission and the Nuffield Trust examined the fortunes of NHS organisations who began 2006/07 in deficit. Some have prospered, others remain in financial difficulty. What explains their different fates, and what lessons can be carried forward into 2012 and beyond? This interactive session will share early findings emerging from this piece of work ahead of a final report being published in autumn. Hear first hand what the early findings mean for your organisation and help shape the conclusions and lessons for the NHS.

An estimated 30 per cent of people with a long-term condition also have a mental health problem. Co-morbid mental health problems are a major cost driver in the care of people with long-term conditions, accounting for a 45–75 per cent increase in service costs. Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) account for as many as one in five new consultations in primary care, and up to one third of referrals from primary to secondary care.
There is a growing body of clinical and economic evidence supporting investment in psychological services as part of the treatment for long-term conditions. In this session, hear from primary and secondary care services who are taking innovative approaches to improving outcomes for people with long term conditions and MUS, and reduce overall costs of care to the NHS.

For a number of trusts, some degree of service redesign will be necessary to achieve sustainable finances and attain foundation trust status. This will often involve moving some of the care currently provided in acute settings into the community or merging with another organisation. There is good evidence that making changes to where and how care is delivered can lead to significant improvements in quality of care for certain services. However, this often costs rather than saves money, particularly in the short to medium term. Are there circumstances under which it can deliver cost savings and improve quality and safety? And if so, how can we consistently achieve them?

Avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions through better use of primary care services is a common objective in many countries. However, this issue assumed a quite different importance for the Canterbury District Health Board in New Zealand when a major earthquake struck the city of Christchurch in February 2011.

This session will explain how Canterbury has achieved one of the lowest acute admission rates in New Zealand through a collaborative model of care between primary and secondary services and an innovative approach to the use of data.

Across business the world over, organisations are employing technologies to improve their organisational effectiveness, make them cost competitive and improve the experience of their customers.
But how can the NHS exploit innovative technologies to support delivery of services across a modern NHS, improve quality, reduce cost and enhance the experience of its staff, patients and carers?
Furthermore, how can we ensure that NHS leaders and their Boards are equipped to take forward the use of these technologies?  In this session we will look at:
• The role of Information and Communications Transformation in transforming the healthcare environment.
• How you can join up technological solutions with your organisational change programmes.
• How to mesh short term IT requirements opportunities generated from mergers and acquisitions with the medium term opportunities to change processes of care for the emergent healthcare system.
• The potential and role of the Chief Information Officer in delivering organisational change.
This session is delivered by BT.

Personal health budgets are a key part of the Government's vision for the future of the NHS, and from 2014 those eligible for NHS continuing healthcare will be able to choose to have a personal budget. This interactive session will focus on the learning so far from the personal budget pilot sites, the challenges for patients, their carers as well as  providers and commissioners of continuing health care services. Speakers will include those whose life has been transformed.

Effective information sharing is fundamental to delivering the right patient care. This session will look at the pivotal role frontline practitioners play in the information chain and their experiences in collecting and sharing information that can influence future care pathways for patients.
Hear examples of best practice and the challenges from these practitioners and other healthcare professionals on sharing information  with partners to achieve early intervention and prevention outcomes.

Join a fringe session or visit the exhibition.

The reforms to the NHS have created a number of new remit for national bodies within the health system, and make important changes to the roles of others. How are their leaders approaching their new tasks? What do they see as the key challenges facing NHS leaders as the system changes?