PathVision 2026: The Convenzis NHS Pathology Strategy Conference North

Clinical Diagnostics & Medical Sciences

08:30 am
24 Feb, 2026
etc venues Manchester, 8th Floor, 11 Portland Street M1 3HU

PathVision 2026: The Convenzis NHS Pathology Strategy Conference North

Clinical Diagnostics & Medical Sciences

08:30 am
24 Feb, 2026
etc venues Manchester, 8th Floor, 11 Portland Street M1 3HU

Driving System-Wide Diagnostic Excellence: A Strategic Summit for NHS Pathology and Digital Diagnostics Leaders - All Convenzis Events Provide 8 CPD Points Per Delegate

Pathology, genomics, and digital diagnostics form the backbone of modern medicine, collectively supporting over 70% of clinical decisions across the NHS. Yet persistent fragmentation between diagnostic disciplines, coupled with ageing systems and uneven digital maturity, continues to hinder true integration, interoperability, and patient-centred outcomes.

The NHS 10-Year Health Plan and the ongoing Digital Diagnostics Capability (DDC) programme now offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a connected diagnostics ecosystem, linking data, disciplines, and digital innovation across national and community settings.

Summit Focus:

The 6th NHS Pathology and Diagnostics Conference goes beyond policy updates to address how the NHS can achieve genuine interoperability and deliver integrated, data-driven diagnostics at scale. Through practical skill clinics, lessons learned sessions, and expert-led discussions, the summit will explore how diagnostics services can modernise safely, equitably, and sustainably.

Delegates will examine the next phase of transformation across four strategic dimensions: form, function, outcomes, and capability, focusing on how integration and digital investment translate into real patient and system value.

Core Themes and Delegate Outcomes:

  • Integrating diagnostics disciplines – aligning pathology, genomics, and digital systems to create unified diagnostic pathways and shared patient insights.
  • Genomics and pathology integration – exploring case studies of trusts piloting combined workflows to accelerate precision medicine and diagnostic accuracy.
  • Digitalisation of transfusion services – demonstrating how LIMS, automation, and AI can streamline blood management, traceability, and governance.
  • Neighbourhood and community diagnostics – expanding access through Community Diagnostic Centres, telepathology, and at-home testing.
  • Building a connected diagnostics network – collaborating with the DDC programme to realise value from digital investments across ICS footprints.
  • Evaluating digital effectiveness – focusing on outcomes and capability-building rather than procurement-led approaches.
  • POCT skill clinic – a dedicated training session to enhance governance, quality, and data integration for point-of-care testing.

What’s New for 2026:

2026 marks a decisive shift in how Convenzis events are designed and delivered. PathVision 2026 introduces a new training-led and outcome-driven format, ensuring every attendee leaves with tangible insights and practical frameworks that can be applied immediately within their organisation.

  • Skill Clinics – immersive sessions focused on capability-building across pathology, genomics, and digital diagnostics, providing delegates with ready-to-use frameworks and practical tools for system-wide improvement.
  • Lessons Learned Sessions – open and candid discussions where NHS leaders share implementation experiences, including challenges, course corrections, and the strategies that led to success.
  • Integration Roundtables – focused discussions connecting pathology, genomics, transfusion, and digital teams to accelerate interoperability and shared learning across diagnostics disciplines.
  • DDC Collaboration Forum – a dedicated platform to explore the role of the Digital Diagnostics Capability programme in uniting diagnostic services, data, and workforce development under a single strategic vision.

Evaluation & Value Workshops – hands-on sessions to help NHS organisations assess digital effectiveness, focusing on form, function, outcomes, and capability rather than procurement metrics alone.

These updates reflect a fundamental evolution in the Convenzis approach, ensuring clear delegate outcomesand delivering the highest standard of actionable learning for all participants.

Why Attend:

This summit is designed for NHS leaders and diagnostics professionals seeking to deliver sustainable integration across disciplines. Attendees will gain:

  • Earn 8 CPD Points by attending.
  • Practical frameworks for interoperability, governance, and workforce capability.
  • Real-world insights from NHS networks advancing genomics-pathology integration.
  • Templates for evaluating digital systems through measurable patient and service outcomes.
  • Connections with the DDC network, national bodies, and peers shaping the next generation of diagnostics delivery.

Who Would Benefit:

This event is ideal for pathology and diagnostics leaders, biomedical scientists, genomics programme managers, digital transformation leads, and ICS diagnostics directors. It will also benefit ICBs, CIOs, CCIOs, and governance professionals driving interoperability across diagnostic domains.

Industry partners, innovators, and suppliers will gain a clear understanding of how NHS priorities are shifting, from buying technology to building capability, integration, and measurable diagnostic value.

Headline Sponsor

The programme

08:30

Registration & Networking

Registration - Open from 8:30 am - Closes at 11:00 am

All delegates must complete their registration process before the 11:00 AM cut-off time. Please arrive in a timely manner to allow for registration and to avoid any inconvenience. Delegates who arrive after the registration deadline will be refused entry to the event.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain the event's schedule and ensuring that everyone can fully participate in the Conference. If you have any questions or require assistance, our event staff will be available to assist you with the registration process.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to an insightful and productive event together!

09:30

Chair Opening Address - Shaping the Future of NHS Pathology: Delivering on the Long-Term Plan (Confirmed)

Mr Chris Sleight MSc BSc FIBMS
Ex Diagnostics Leader within the NHS

The Chair opens with an overview of how pathology sits at the heart of the NHS Long Term Plan from modernising laboratories and expanding workforce capacity, to using innovation to meet rising demand.

09:40

Keynote Presentation - Connecting Diagnostics for a Digital NHS (Speaker TBC)

As the NHS advances its 10-Year Health Plan and the Digital Diagnostics Capability (DDC) programme, the vision for a fully connected diagnostics network is becoming reality. This keynote will explore how pathology, genomics, and imaging can be integrated to deliver faster, safer, and more personalised care.

Attendees will gain insight into national priorities for digital diagnostics, the investment landscape, and how interoperability and workforce readiness must evolve in parallel to technology adoption.

NHS England Representative (TBC)

10:00

Morning Skill Clinic - Building Diagnostic Interoperability Across Systems (Panellists TBC)

This interactive clinic focuses on the practical enablers of interoperability across diagnostics services.

Delegates will explore frameworks for connecting pathology, genomics, and digital systems within the DDC model, ensuring data flow, governance, and safety are maintained from test to treatment.

Through case-led discussion and applied examples, participants will learn how to align diagnostic workflows with shared data standards such as FHIR and the NHS App ecosystem.

  • Facilitator: NHS Digital / DDC Network Representative (TBC)
  • David White - Ex Deputy Chief Medical Officer and CCIO, Liverpool University Foundation Trust, Clinical Head of Cheshire and Merseyside Imaging network (Provisionally Confirmed)
  • Professor Michael Osborn - National Specialty Adviser (NSA) for Pathology – Sustainability & Resilience NHSE / Clinical Lead Pathology - NHSE London - Clinical Director NWLP (Provisionally Confirmed)

10:30

Main Sponsor - Source LDPath

Main Sponsor - Source LDPath

About us: 

Source LDPath, a part of the Source BioScience group, provides industry leading histopathology services with a focus on digital pathology and AI.

Our comprehensive clinical healthcare offering spans histopathology—integrating digital pathology and AI—through to molecular diagnostics, creating a seamless workflow for precision medicine. Using advanced slide scanning and high-resolution imaging, our digital pathology solutions transform traditional diagnostics with enhanced efficiency and accuracy.

We collaborate with an extensive network of over 280+ of Specialist Consultant Pathologists, all accredited by the Royal College of Pathologists and General Medical Council, while also adhering to the rigorous standards of the College of American Pathologists. By embracing digital pathology and AI, we enable real-time analysis and high-throughput capabilities, empowering pathologists to deliver rapid, high-quality diagnostic insights.

10:50

Morning Break

Morning Break

Networking & exhibition with digital pathology suppliers and workforce support initiatives.

11:50

Chair Morning Reflection (Confirmed)

Mr Chris Sleight MSc BSc FIBMS
Ex Diagnostics Leader within the NHS

Chair Morning Reflection (Confirmed)

11:55

Case Study - ProfilerLive

Case Study - ProfilerLive

About us:

ProfilerLive is a cutting-edge digital training and competency management platform designed to streamline workforce training and compliance processes. ProfilerLive enables organisations to automate training, track competency progress in real time, and ensure regulatory compliance. With its intuitive interface, real-time reporting, and comprehensive analytics, ProfilerLive empowers managers to make data-driven decisions and optimise workforce planning.

12:15

Case Study - Diagnexia

Case Study - Diagnexia

About us:

Diagnexia stands at the forefront of digital pathology services in the UK, providing an innovative, on-demand network of expert subspecialty pathologists dedicated to supporting the NHS and healthcare providers across the UK. With a commitment to speed, compliance, and expertise, Diagnexia offers a swift 3-5 day turnaround for primary diagnostic reports and 7-10 days for secondary consults, ensuring timely and accurate diagnostic services. Recognised for its digital excellence, Diagnexia facilitates seamless, intuitive reporting and case management from anywhere, ensuring that the NHS, has access to top pathology minds, thereby enhancing patient outcomes, reducing backlogs, and ensuring balanced workloads across pathology departments.

12:35

Leadership Lessons from the Front Line - Modernising Pathology (Speakers TBC)

This candid conversation brings together NHS leaders who have navigated the realities of pathology modernisation - from digital histopathology rollouts to AI-assisted reporting and LIMS transformation.

Speakers will discuss what worked, what failed, and what changed along the way, offering honest reflections on how to balance innovation, governance, and workforce stability.

Expect practical insights into managing risk, engaging staff, and maintaining quality during large-scale digital transformation.

Speakers: NHS Pathology Network Leaders (TBC)

12:55

Case Study

Case Study

13:15

Lunch and Networking

Lunch and Networking

Networking, food & exhibition with digital pathology suppliers and workforce support initiatives.

14:00

Chair Afternoon Address - Reflections & Realignment: Keeping Transformation on Track (Confirmed)

Mr Chris Sleight MSc BSc FIBMS
Ex Diagnostics Leader within the NHS

The Chair reviews morning insights and sets out how afternoon sessions will deepen focus on case studies and actionable strategies to achieve the NHS vision for diagnostics and early detection.

14:05

Case Study

Case Study

14:25

NHS Deep Dive 1 - Building a Connected Regional Laboratory Informatics System (Speaker Provisionally Confirmed)

This focused session explores the practical journey of delivering a regional informatics laboratory system , from design and integration through to supplier accountability.

Drawing on real-world lessons, the discussion will unpack how to align purpose-built systems with regional needs, embed interoperability across the wider pathology ecosystem, and drive meaningful supplier engagement so that partners don’t just listen, but act.

Speaker: Lisa Sewell - Data and Informatics Director, Northeast & Yorkshire Genomic Medicine Service, Programme Director, Great North Care Record (Provisionally Confirmed)

14:45

Case Study

Case Study

15:05

NHS Deep Dive 2: The Digitalisation of Transfusion Services (Speaker TBC)

Transfusion services are critical to patient safety but remain among the most complex areas for digital integration.

This session examines how trusts are using LIMS, AI, and automation to modernise transfusion workflows, improve traceability, and reduce human error.

Delegates will explore the benefits of end-to-end digital oversight, from sample collection to bedside administration, and how to embed governance and training for sustained success.

Speaker: NHS Blood & Transplant / Pathology Network Representative (TBC)

15:25

Main Plenary Skill Clinic - Embedding Point of Care Testing (POCT) into the Diagnostics Network (Panellists TBC)

POCT is rapidly expanding beyond hospitals into community and virtual ward settings, demanding consistency in governance, data integration, and training.

This main plenary Skill Clinic provides a structured approach to embedding POCT safely within diagnostic networks, aligning with NHSE, MHRA, and ISO standards.

Delegates will review real-world governance models, interoperability frameworks, and workforce training structures that ensure reliable results and clinical confidence across care settings.

Facilitator: Martin McFadden – Senior Science Lead & Strategic Advisor, Office of the Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England (Provisionally Confirmed)

15:25

Breakout Skill Clinic - Evaluating Digital Effectiveness: From Function to Outcomes (Panellists TBC)

Digital transformation in diagnostics is often measured by system deployment, not system impact.

This breakout Skill Clinic reframes evaluation using the “Form, Function, Outcomes, Capability” framework to assess what digital investment truly delivers for patients and staff.

Delegates will work through applied templates for assessing interoperability, quality improvement, and workforce capability, ensuring digital tools translate into measurable service value.

Facilitator: Raja Noman Manzoor – Pathology Lab Director, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Provisionally Confirmed)

15:55

Food, Drinks & Networking

Food, Drinks & Networking

Networking, food, drinks & exhibition with digital pathology suppliers and workforce support initiatives.

17:00

End of Day

End of Day

Convenzisvents

Your Pass Includes....

  • This conference is CPD accredited. Attendees will be eligible to gain 8 CPD points upon completion of the event.
  • Access to a leading conference speaker programme
  • Interactive Q&A sessions
  • Leadership Lessons from the Front Line
  • Cross-sector best practice
  • Meet the supplier opportunities
  • Hot breakfast & Lunch included
  • Access to post event drinks reception and Street food

Tickets For NHS Senior Managers

We have an invite only option for NHS Senior Managers for our conference, to see if you qualify for a complimentary place please click the button below.

Register your place

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£750.00 excl VAT
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