7 Highlights From Our First Conference — FFS24
Formula for Success 2024: Teamwork in action!
The roar of engines and the precision of Formula 1 met the passion of healthcare innovation on a crisp morning at Silverstone Circuit in early November 2024. What began as Locum's Nest's first workforce conference, Formula for Success 2024 (FFS24), quickly became a transformative journey of possibility. Rooted in the foundational pillars of innovation, collaboration, and change, the event brought together a dynamic mix of NHS staff members from different departments, innovators, and thought leaders in an inspiring venue that symbolises teamwork and ingenuity.
Here are 7 highlights from our first conference:
1/ Rethinking innovation: A ventilator story for the ages
Rebecca Shipley, Professor of Healthcare Engineering and Chief Research Officer at UCLPartners, took us behind the scenes of an extraordinary pandemic story: How a team at UCL manufactured 10,000 ventilators in just one month. The secret? Relentless teamwork and cutting through red tape. As Rebecca put it, “We achieved in weeks what normally takes years.” It was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when focus and collaboration take centre stage. What changed? Crystal-clear communication and a shared sense of urgency.
2/ AI with Impact: Tackling missed appointments head-on
What if artificial intelligence could help the NHS recover millions of wasted appointment slots every year? David Hanbury, Co-CEO and Head of Machine Learning at Deep Medical, showed us how his AI is trying to make this a reality, predicting and preventing missed appointments. His work revealed the human stories behind the data, particularly the barriers patients in deprived areas face. Their mission is to assist more patients in reaching their appointments.
3/ The NHS as a hub of entrepreneurship: Solutions from the frontline
Dr Tony Young, National Clinical Director for Innovation at NHS England, inspired the room with the Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, a platform transforming frontline staff into innovators. Over 1,300 clinicians have already launched solutions that have touched 180 million patients. His words resonated: “Innovation doesn’t just happen in boardrooms; it’s born on the frontlines.” The program has helped birth over 500 life science companies, raised £1 billion in investment and generated £400 in economic value for every £1 spent.
4/ Collaboration without borders: A Unified EPR System across the East Midlands
Six NHS Trusts, one unified Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system: Leaders from the East Midlands, Will Monaghan, CDIO at University Hospitals of Leicester & University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, and Iain O’Neil, Digital Transformation Director, NHS East Midland, revealed how they worked together with teams across different East Midland Trusts to break down silos and create a seamless experience for patients and staff. Will Monaghan captured it best: “We’re making it as easy for clinicians to move between hospitals as it is for them to swipe an iPhone.” Their story was a blueprint for digital transformation done right. The team’s vision is simple yet critical: "Imagine a junior doctor starting a rotation, and their digital credentials follow them seamlessly across hospitals. No bureaucratic friction, just pure mobility."
The East Midlands NHS Trusts demonstrated this approach by enabling rapid collaborative decision-making and sharing risks and resources across organisations.
5/ Making change everyone’s business
How do you overcome change fatigue in a system as complex as the NHS? By making improvement part of everyone’s role. Sally Greensmith, Head of QI at Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS FT, shared how simple, accessible initiatives like “Be the Change” empower staff to find solutions. Meanwhile, Lee Gutcher, current Director of Strategic Partnerships at Luscii (an OMRON Healthcare service) and former Head of Programmes of North Central London ICB, reminded us that trust and relationships are the foundation for system-wide progress, and Akta Raja, current Non-Executive Director at North West London ICS and former Non-Executive Director at Royal Free, urged organisations to embrace risk and communicate it as a stepping stone to innovation. A key takeaway was that learning should be celebrated as much as success!
6/ What Formula 1 can teach us about teamwork
Everyone participated in the Pit Crew Challenge, an activity designed to mimic the fast-paced, high-stakes teamwork of a Formula 1 pit stop. This interactive session wasn’t just fun—it was packed with practical takeaways for teams. As participants worked together under the clock, to change tires, scenario-based decision making exercises as a team. It was high stakes, rapid decisions, and the need for flawless coordination and teamwork.
7/ Silverstone, a venue that embodies the spirit of progress
There’s a reason we chose an iconic space known for hosting multidisciplinary trailblazers and teams that thrive on precision and innovation. Like Formula 1, the NHS is a system where split-second decisions and seamless collaboration can save lives. The venue set the tone for the day, reminding us all that with the right culture and commitment, no challenge is insurmountable.
A Shared Formula for Success
From life-saving ventilators to AI-driven solutions, from reimagined digital systems to team-building lessons straight out of F1, Formula for Success 2024 was a celebration of what teams can achieve together when innovation, collaboration, and change intersect.
At Locum’s Nest, we’re proud to have kick-started this conversation and can’t wait to see where this momentum takes us. We wanted a space that was less about presentations and more about possibilities, including the small shifts, meaningful connections, shared insights.
We will be releasing more in depth insights around each of the sessions so stay tuned for our upcoming blogs!
