Primary Care Conference unites national NHS leaders and professionals from across the region for collaboration and insight
Ramside Hall Hotel, 2nd April, 2025 – The Primary Care Conference North East and North Cumbria brought together healthcare leaders and professionals for a morning of insightful discussion, collaboration, and innovation in the face of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
Delegates from across the four pillars of primary care – general practice, dentistry, pharmacy, and optometry – gathered to share ideas, tackle challenges, and explore new opportunities for working together more effectively.
With the pressures of government reform, funding constraints, growing patient demands, and workforce transformation, the conference provided a space to share experiences and ideas, and to drive forward-thinking solutions.
A morning of valuable dialogue
The event was chaired by Fiona Adamson, Co-Chair of the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Primary Care Collaborative. Reflecting on the conference’s success and the atmosphere of cooperation, Fiona said:
“Some of our current projects as a PCC are very exciting; seeing the Workforce Strategy take shape is something that’s very close to my heart. And, the pilot to give optometry and dentistry access to the National Care Record is groundbreaking – it makes a huge difference to patients and the clinicians looking after them.
“Really, we’re here today to get to know each other a little bit better, to understand what goes on in different parts of primary care, and to have time away from a really busy day job to get some ideas, gain some innovations, and to learn from each other, all in the interest of better patient care. As we wait for the 10-year plan to be published, it felt like primary care was ready to be a vital partner at the heart of integrated neighbourhood health.”
Fiona led a dynamic panel discussion featuring key figures in regional and national healthcare:
- Dr Claire Fuller, Co-Medical Director for Primary Care on the NHS Transformation Executive Team
- Levi Buckley, Chief Delivery Officer, NENC Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- Ewan Maule, Director of Medicines and Pharmacy, NENC ICB
- Matt Brown, Managing Director, NENC Provider Collaborative
- Ruth Rankine, Director of Primary Care, NHS Confederation
The panel tackled a wide range of audience questions, exploring how primary care can respond to current challenges and deliver sustainable improvements for the future.
Dr Claire Fuller, who only very recently undertook her new role, remarked:
“It’s the most important thing to connect with the primary care workforce at events like this. Every part of the country is different. It’s really important to be able to understand the context in which people are working so we don’t do things that make things harder for people.”
“The NHS is perpetually in a period of change, but we also have a lot of opportunity right now, I would say, particularly for primary care and non-hospital services, in terms of the 10-year plan. We’ve got the government’s three big shifts, all of which work and will be delivered from within primary care, and we need to be ready to receive that 10-year plan and get on and deliver it.”
Knowledge sharing in action
Four expert-led breakout sessions provided attendees with deep dives into pressing topics:
- Rachel Rooney, Deputy Director, Medical Directorate, of NENC ICB spoke on the ICB’s Clinical Conditions Strategic Plan and its implications for Primary Care
- Dr David Hindmarsh, GP partner, and founder of GP Templates gave a talk on Connecting with patients in a digital age
- A group made up of representative from NHSE and NECS ran a session on the National Care Records Service – Expansion of access for optometry and dentistry
- Sean Sankey, Managing Director of Much Clearer Consulting, shared insight on Approaching difficult conversations.
Following the breakouts and a short stop for coffee, everyone reconvened for a session led by Fiona, Primary Care at the heart of Integrated Neighbourhood Health. This provided a great opportunity for people to discuss primary care in context as part of the full system, to share their responses to the whole morning’s activities, and to exchange and formulate our thinking as a collective.
A showcase of innovation
Exhibitors added to the buzz of the day, showcasing new tools, research, and strategies to support primary care professionals:
- Pharmacy First
Demonstrating the patient benefits of the recently introduced Pharmacy First scheme. - Population Health Management
NECS data analytics team shared updates on RAIDR and the Community of 1000, offering an interactive look at local population insights. - Primary Care Workforce
Representatives from NHS North of England CSU presented key themes from recent workforce strategy engagement sessions.
Looking ahead
The energy, engagement, and enthusiasm throughout the morning made it clear: there is a shared commitment to building a stronger, more connected future for primary care across the North East and North Cumbria.
A video of the event is available on the NENC Primary Care Collaborative YouTube channel for those who were unable to attend or who wish to revisit the day’s discussions.
