The first day of our conference will open at Liverpool ACC, beautifully situated on the banks of the River Mersey at the heart of the city’s iconic waterfront.
Here, you and the other delegates will be able to register and begin to familiarise yourself with the diverse pool of exhibitors showcasing innovative products and services, from online healthcare training to top of the range nursing equipment.
Our theme this year is ‘People, Partnerships and Potential’, and you will have the opportunity to explore these ideas from several different angles in our parallel sessions throughout the conference.
In the first day’s morning sessions, you could explore new methods to support family and young carers, hear about ways you can use data to increase your reach and impact, or find out what lessons the UK can learn by observing palliative care in other countries, such as China, Rwanda and India.
After a break, and a chance to network with colleagues over tea and coffee, Michael Howard, Chair of Hospice UK, will officially open the conference and introduce our first plenary speaker, David Clark.
David is a professor at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Glasgow, and has been a hugely active figure in the palliative care sector nationally and globally. He will discuss the main points of his new book ‘To comfort always: a history of palliative care’. David will be signing copies of his book after his speech, so make sure you stay on to get an exclusive copy.
During lunch, no doubt along with much discussion of the morning’s insights, delegates will be able to continue exploring the exhibition. We recommend you visit the extensive display of posters, submitted in response to our ‘call for papers’ which generated a range of fantastic responses.
After lunch, delegates will be able to attend more parallel sessions. Trustees or executives might like to learn about new approaches to hospice staffing, or discuss effective approaches to hospice governance, and practitioners and carers could listen to inspiring stories of the power of patient relationships.
Later in the afternoon you will hear from our second plenary speaker, Alison Killing, an architect and urban designer. Alison’s work has focused on the relationship between death and modern architecture, looking at how cities are rebuilt after disaster. She has worked with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on how to integrate relevant urban design tools into humanitarian response, and her projects have received international attention. For a preview, you can check out her Ted Talks, including, ‘There’s a better way to die, and architecture can help’.
This will be followed by presentation of the Hospice UK Awards, supported by the National Gardens Scheme. These awards celebrate the innovative work being done in care, volunteering and fundraising, and are an incredibly special way to demonstrate the vital position hospices occupy in our healthcare sector.
At the end of such a busy day, you can unwind with some well-earned refreshments at our welcome drinks reception and visit the exhibition.
Now read what to expect from day two and day three of the conference.
The conference People, Partnerships and Potential is being held in Liverpool from 16 to 18 November 2016. Information about the conference, including how to register to attend, can be found on Hospice UK’s website.
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