Current landscape:
The NHS Patient Flow Conference serves as a vital convening space for healthcare professionals, policymakers, system leaders, and innovators committed to improving the movement of patients across urgent and emergency care (UEC) and hospital services. This year’s conference is closely aligned with the priorities of “Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England”, focusing on transforming patient flow through enhanced system coordination, digital innovation, and integrated care delivery.
Attendees will take part in strategic discussions, hands-on workshops, and real-world case studies that spotlight both national and local initiatives. These sessions will explore approaches that reduce avoidable A&E attendances, streamline triage, and support effective rehabilitation and discharge planning—ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Key Themes and Content Streams:
- Redesigning UEC & Streamlining Flow
Advancing Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs), separating urgent and emergency pathways, and using digital command centres to improve patient throughput. - Reducing Unnecessary A&E Attendances
Redirecting non-urgent cases through better access to primary care, public-facing navigation tools, and AI-assisted decision support. - Digital & AI-Powered Flow Management
Leveraging smart triage systems, virtual wards, and predictive analytics to proactively manage demand and ease pressure on acute services. - Integrated Intermediate & Community Care
Enhancing links between hospitals, social care, and community rehab services to support timely and safe transitions back to home or step-down care. - The Future Hospital & Technology
Reimagining hospitals as centres for specialist care, expanding the use of robotics, personalised medicine, and digital health innovations to ensure equitable access and outcomes.
Why This Conference Matters Now:
The 2025 NHS Patient Flow Conference is more than just a meeting of minds—it is a strategic catalyst for system-wide change. Against a backdrop of rising demand and resource constraints, this event provides a critical opportunity to drive the transformation needed for a more responsive, integrated, and patient-centred NHS.
Participants will gain valuable, actionable insights into scalable models of integrated care, digital coordination, and flow optimisation that are already making a difference across the country. By fostering collaboration across sectors, the conference will help shape a more agile, equitable healthcare system capable of meeting the evolving needs of patients today—and tomorrow.
