Layla McCay's Avatar

Layla McCay

@laylamccay.bsky.social

By day: NHS Confederation’s Director of Policy. By night: Author. Posts here on NHS / health policy plus a little book chat / random musings. For lots more book/author content, also join me on Instagram. Posting in personal capacity.

4,107 Followers  |  779 Following  |  278 Posts  |  Joined: 12.07.2023  |  1.8278

Latest posts by laylamccay.bsky.social on Bluesky

Post image

UK readers, if you’re planning to pre-order my new book The Queer Bookshelf about the history (and present and future) of LGBTQ+ literature, this is a pretty excellent deal. www.waterstones.com/book/the-que...

17.02.2026 07:42 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1

Layla’s 2025 Review of Books is here!
open.substack.com/pub/laylamcc...

28.12.2025 17:57 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

My Queer Book Advent Calendar starts today over on Instagram at laylamccay. Enjoy.
#BookThreads

01.12.2025 07:51 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
Queer Books | Layla McCay | Substack Celebrating LGBTQ+ literature past and present with the author of The Queer Bookshelf (plus a peek into author life). Click to read Queer Books, by Layla McCay, a Substack publication. Launched 2 mont...

For those who follow me for queer bookish/author chat, I have started a free substack newsletter and I’d love it if you’d take a look/subscribe.
open.substack.com/pub/laylamcc...

22.10.2025 11:51 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

How about Five Children and It

06.10.2025 17:00 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Imagine someone gave you a lovely book about novels. You turn to the index. Would you rather it was one big index with book titles, authors, and assorted other things in the book. Or would you rather one index for book titles and a separate one for author names and that’s it? Views please!

02.10.2025 13:42 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0
Dr Layla speaking at Lectern

Dr Layla speaking at Lectern

Dr Layla speaking about her book Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling.

Dr Layla speaking about her book Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling.

Wonderful hearing @laylamccay.bsky.social speaking today about the evidence on #LGBTQ+ staff & patient experience - providing data for change - and speaking about great work of @nhsconfed.org on providing platforms for tackling inequality

15.09.2025 15:26 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Just a reminder to the many of you following me here for LGBTQ+ bookish content… there’s some, there may be more, but right now this account is mostly focused on health policy. Queer bookish chat is my main focus on my author Instagram - see you there? www.instagram.com/laylamccay/?...

31.07.2025 05:25 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Video thumbnail

Our director of policy, Dr @laylamccay.bsky.social spoke on 5 Live Breakfast this morning about the ongoing resident doctors' strikes. She said healthcare leaders across the country are hoping the BMA can find a way to get back round the table with the government and find a solution.

29.07.2025 07:56 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Video thumbnail

Our director of policy, Dr @laylamccay.bsky.social, told BBC Breakfast that patient safety is the absolute priority for healthcare leaders throughout the resident doctors' strikes.

29.07.2025 07:28 — 👍 1    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
Video thumbnail

Our director of policy, Dr @laylamccay.bsky.social, spoke to @listentotimesradio.bsky.social about the resident doctors' strike.

She says the NHS Confederation is keen for the British Medical Association to get together with the government and figure out a way forward.

28.07.2025 13:47 — 👍 1    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
Our verdict on Wes Streeting's Ten-Year Plan for the NHS
YouTube video by NHS Confederation Our verdict on Wes Streeting's Ten-Year Plan for the NHS

Whether you're after analysis on the Ten-Year Health Plan or an at-a-glance guide to the headline points, our member briefing and explainer video have you covered👇

youtu.be/sWicWT66mpc

04.07.2025 10:53 — 👍 2    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0
Preview
Who can use the NHS App - Help and support You can use the NHS App, or log in through the NHS website, if you’re aged 13 or over and registered at an NHS GP surgery in England or the Isle of Man.

Thanks for flagging - I'll review and clarify. Here is who can access the app: www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/nhs-...

04.07.2025 10:33 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Ten-Year Health Plan: what you need to know Analysis of the government's key plan for the NHS in England and the takeaways healthcare leaders need to know.

Hot off the Press: The NHS Confederation must-read 10 Year Health Plan briefing is out now! Huge thanks to our subject and sector specialists coming together with such dedication to bring you this analysis. I hope it's helpful. Do share. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

04.07.2025 10:00 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Absolute silence from the policy team in the @nhsconfed.org except for the tapping of keyboards as our experts assess the 10 year health plan that’s just been published. We’ll have your briefing with you asap!

03.07.2025 10:33 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Video thumbnail

As we await the publication of the 1️⃣ 0️⃣ year plan for health later this morning, our director of policy @laylamccay.bsky.social spoke to @lbc.co.uk on the need for it to deliver more empowerment for patients 💪, more care closer to home 🏘️ and a more preventative approach.💉

03.07.2025 07:58 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
Key questions the ten-year plan will need to answer Twelve issues healthcare leaders will be seeking clarity on in the long-awaited plan.

Policy wonks and NHS aficionados ahoy! We’re one day out from the 10 year health plan. And here’s what we want to see.
www.nhsconfed.org/articles/key...

02.07.2025 09:14 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I’m about to go on a Hay-on-Wye bookshop minibreak. Those more expert than me: is there an easy way to find out if any of the many bookshops are doing events?

23.06.2025 06:50 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0
Preview
Spending Review 2025 Summary and analysis of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Spending Review and its impact for health and care.

What did the spending review mean for the NHS? We have a briefing for that. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

12.06.2025 08:04 — 👍 5    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0
Post image

Greetings from @nhsconfed.org ConfedExpo! It’s going to be excellent. I may post some things here over this two day UK healthcare and health policy extravaganza.

11.06.2025 08:24 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
Book your pass Join us at NHS ConfedExpo 2025 on 11-12 June at Manchester Central, for the leading health and care conference delivered in partnership by NHS Confederation and NHS England.

You can book your pass here. Free if you work for the NHS and various others. www.nhsconfedexpo.org/book-pass

27.05.2025 14:45 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
Join me at NHS ConfedExpo 2025! I am pleased to announce that i will be speaking at NHS ConfedExpo, the UK's most significant health and care conference.

Hope you've booked your NHS Confed Expo pass... (even if I don't have a promising future as a videographer).
view.shoutout.social/confedexpo/n...

27.05.2025 14:45 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Ahead of the 10 year health plan, here's our thoughts @nhsconfed.org about what a new operating model could look like. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

22.05.2025 09:06 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 1
Preview
Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling I Layla McCay I RSA REPLAY YouTube video by RSA

Continuing my Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling 1st birthday celebrations by sharing my book talk at the RSA. Enjoy. www.youtube.com/live/TPiX7JR...

20.05.2025 06:12 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

You should be able to order from most bookshops if not on the shelves. In Aotearoa New Zealand I see it’s in stock at Unity Books in Wellington for example.

19.05.2025 07:25 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
Collaborating on the future health of Europe Exploring areas of collaboration, agreement and interoperability between the UK and EU to ensure population health is protected and improved.

With Brexit in people’s minds today, here’s some thoughts on what an EU-UK Health Protection Agreement could look like. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

19.05.2025 07:12 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

This week marks the 1st birthday of my book Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling: How LGBTQ+ people can thrive and succeed at work. Help me celebrate? Would be great to have a few more reviews, or to hear your reflections on the concept.

19.05.2025 06:02 — 👍 10    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
Preview
Why does closing the inequality gap in LGBTQ+ NHS staff experience remain so hard? It is vital that we support our LGBTQ+ NHS staff to fully thrive at work, writes Dr Layla McCay.

For International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia aka #IDAHOBIT I wrote about LGBTQ+ staff experience in the NHS. www.nhsemployers.org/articles/why...

17.05.2025 08:29 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Does anyone have tickets for the international @thebookerprizes.bsky.social event on Sunday going spare? Sold out and I have regrets!

15.05.2025 17:42 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Ah, sorry about that. But thanks so much!

12.05.2025 11:48 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

@laylamccay is following 20 prominent accounts