The first day of the Health+Care conference opened with energy and a clear sense of where the sector is heading. Two themes dominated the agenda from the outset: technology and social prescribing.
Health and social care, hand in hand
A keynote by Caroline Dinenage, then Minister of State for Health, set the tone — emphasising the close connection between health and social care and the importance of integrated care systems that work as one.
Health and social care are two sides of the same coin — and people feel the difference when they're joined up well.
Lessons from the front line
Sessions throughout the day explored psychological safety in healthcare and the lessons emerging from Integrated Care Services (ICSs) — particularly how they encourage relationship building and a more entrepreneurial mindset. Panels examined social-care funding models and, once again, social-value calculators.
Choice and control
The day closed with reflections on personalised care and the importance of choice and control — principles that sit at the very heart of everything we do at Afya Care. It was a fitting reminder that, for all the talk of systems and technology, care is ultimately about people.