@niconfederation.bsky.social
NICON is the voice of organisations working across Northern Ireland's integrated health and social care system. We are the only membership body for all HSC organisations in NI. Part of @nhsconfed.bsky.social https://www.nhsconfed.org/nicon
1st webinar in our #Reset series is open for booking:
💷 Budget briefing and system discussion
📅 1pm to 2.30pm, Monday 1 December 2025
📍 Zoom
🎫 Book now: www.nhsconfed.org/events/nicon...
We'll discuss the implications of the recently announced UK budget for health and social care in NI.
Our #NICON25 conference is now coming to an end after two fantastic days. A huge thank you to everyone who was able to join us either online or in person as we considered the opportunities and challenges associated with resetting our health system.
Day 2 of #NICON25 has started! We've just heard from the FM Michelle O’Neill and dFM Emma Little-Pengelly on the Executive’s priorities for health and social care. Both were very positive about the future of the HSC system now we have a Reset Plan in place.
We have been joined by Denise Hampson from The Desire Code at #NICON25, who is setting out the potential of human-centred design within the HSC system. Denise argues that the things people need tend to be quite modest, such as needing to feel like they are significant and being heard.
Published for #NICON25 - guidance from us and @niconfederation.bsky.social on creating successful NHS-industry partnerships.
Together we will harness the power of partnership to improve care and deliver lasting value for people, systems, and society. #PowerofPartnerships
bit.ly/4nV2Mp4
We're very pleased to be supporting the #NICON25 conference - now underway! @niconfederation.bsky.social
By harnessing the strength of the health service, the life sciences sector, and Northern Ireland’s academic prowess, we can deliver for patients.
#NICON25 Join us at 2:15pm
'Café conversations: Leadership showcase'.
‘Seeking resolution 1 conversation at a time’-we'll be demonstrating how we use effective communication in partnership to resolve complex issues, strengthen relationships & drive meaningful change.
@niconfederation.bsky.social
📢We are delighted to launch ‘People to Partners: Developing a unique approach for NI’
👉Available now at: pcc-ni.net/5696
#peopletopartners #teampcc #NICON25 @niconfederation.bsky.social
Our Health Innovation & Economy Network Zone has been launched by the DoH and DfE Permanent Secretaries.
Visit the Ballygowan Foyer Mezzanine to hear 'On-the-Sofa Conversations' with entrepreneurs driving forward health innovations!
www.nhsconfed.org/system/files...
#NICON25
An episode of the NHS Confederation’s ‘Health on the Line’ podcast is currently being filmed on our mainstage. Confed Chief Executive Matthew Taylor is conducting an in-depth interview with @health-ni.gov.uk Permanent Secretary Mike Farrar.
We just heard from @michaelmarmot.bsky.social on how we can keep tackling health inequalities at the heart of the HSC reset in NI.
“Hope is the opposite of fear, and if we are hopeful, we don’t sit back and wait for things to change. We can work to make things better.”
#NICON25
We're at stand 43.
You can still register to join live/virtually at: www.nhsconfed.org/events/nicon...
@hscni.bsky.social @health-ni.gov.uk @niconfederation.bsky.social
Day 1 of #NICON25!
We are proud to sponsor 10 members of the public to join us this year.
Looking forward to our report launch of ‘People to Partners’, networking, learning and sharing ideas with HSC colleagues.
Find #TeamPCC in the Reset Lounge!
#peopletopartners
@niconfederation.bsky.social
We are delighted to have kicked off at #NICON25! If you are not able to experience the conference in person with us today, you can still register for the free livestream and join us as a virtual delegate on Zoom.
🎥 Day one livestream: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
The eighth webinar in our ‘Grasping the Nettle’ series is now available to watch online! It focused on the recently announced reset plans for health and social care.
🌿 Watch here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
More Grasping the Nettle webinars will be announced soon!
We have issued a statement on behalf of our members in response to the plan to 'reset' health and social care in Northern Ireland, which was announced this afternoon by the Health Minister.
➡️ www.nhsconfed.org/news/health-...
New #GraspingTheNettle webinar:
🌿 Reset plan for health and social care - Addressing our financial challenges
📅 4pm to 5.30pm, 21 July 2025
📍 Zoom
🎫 Book: www.nhsconfed.org/events/nicon...
We'll hear from DoH Permanent Secretary Mike Farrar & NHS Confederation Director of Policy Layla McCay.
The seventh webinar in our ‘Grasping the Nettle’ series is now available to watch online! It focused on one of the most pressing concerns for the HSC system – waiting lists.
🌿Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg68...
More Grasping the Nettle webinars will be announced soon!
New #GraspingTheNettle webinar announced:
🌿 Waiting List Initiatives – Understanding the Priorities
📅 10am to 11.30am, Thursday 5 June 2025
📍 Zoom
🎫 Book now: www.nhsconfed.org/events/nicon...
Our Director Heather Moorhead is leading a discussion this morning at the ECHAlliance 5 Nations Ecosystem Gathering, which will consider ‘Is social care the problem or the solution?’.
Full details here: echalliance.com/events-healt...
Today we celebrate International Nurses' Day 2025! On behalf of our members, we want to say a huge thank you to all the nurses working in Northern Ireland.
The contribution you make to patients' lives is invaluable 🌟
Our sincere thanks to Mike for taking the time to join us, provide insights and answer questions from our members and stakeholders.
🎥 The full interview reel can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4_Q...
Finally, on leadership and decision-making:
"We should be empowering ourselves. I'm a big believer in distributed leadership, but people in the chain of distributed leadership need to be able to see the big picture... It requires creating that context and then devolving that authority."
On innovation and health & life sciences:
• NI's small population provides significant opportunities for strategic industry partnerships to address some of our burning problems
• Such investment could alleviate constraints on the public purse - But will require leadership and clinical empowerment
On the role of the VCSE sector:
• VCS orgs play a vital role, connecting with people at the community level and helping manage conditions that would otherwise drive patients towards general practice: They must be seen as an equal partner
• Longer-term VCS contracts would be mutually beneficial
On primary care & the shift left:
• Shifting resources towards primary care can help manage the % increase in the overall draw on NI’s spend
• Reducing unwarranted clinical variability at the first point-of-contact and scaling initiatives like MDTs & GP Federations are important areas of focus
On staff experience:
• The quality of line management and fairness in the pay system are major factors impacting staff morale: We must communicate our efforts to improve in these areas and ensure staff feel valued
• Colleagues must not be blamed for raising concerns around unmanageable workloads
On workforce:
• Workforce planning is central to any HSC reset: It must be informed by practice to ensure staff are appropriately skilled and deployed to meet both current & future demands
📒 Our workforce report outlines opportunities to address these challenges: tinyurl.com/nicon-no-tim...
On clinical engagement & empowerment:
• "No clinician goes into work to do the wrong thing": We must move away from a culture of blame & create conditions whereby clinicians are empowered to be the best they possibly can be
• Clinical buy-in = Alignment with a shared purpose & vision for the HSC
On place-based approaches:
• Embedding a place-based approach into the HSC operating model will assist with changing the pattern of utilisation - Facilitating the implementation of Bengoa & reducing waiting times
• This may involve formal arrangements for Trust decision-making to optimise assets