GOSH Conference 2018 - Continuous Care Round-up

On the 23rd November, PGME and NNME combined forces to host the 2018 GOSH Conference – ‘Continuous Care’.

Around 200 delegates, presenters, medical students and Young Peoples Forum (YPF) volunteers converged on the British Library Knowledge Centre for a day of talks, demonstrations, posters and networking.

The day kicked off with Peter Steer giving us an insight into his reflections and thoughts on his time as CEO. This was followed by Hannah Hardy, a 14-year-old sibling of a patient who gave us an incredibly mature and inspiring talk on how her families’ life has been affected by her brother’s condition. It was a very impressive performance and set the bar very high for the rest of the speakers. Next up was the immediate past president of the RCoA, Liam Brennan and the president of the RCPCH, Russell Viner who outlined the bigger picture of integrating children’s services into the NHS of the future. Kath Evans (lead for Patient Experience - NHS England) then gave an incredibly energetic talk on her work on the importance of listening to our patients and then improving our services.

After coffee, the delegates were given a choice of three ‘breakout’ sessions where they were treated to a keynote talk and then four oral abstract presentations. All speakers were of a very high standard and had been shortlisted from an incredible 150+ abstract submissions. A real demonstration of the breadth and depth of talent we have at GOSH.

Lunch was also a busy time, with a guided poster session, a plenary lecture by the research team and the chance to meet colleagues who you wouldn’t normally interact with in your day-to-day work.

The afternoon saw another three excellent break-out sessions which matched the mornings for its mix of eclectic excellence. Rozzy Amos from the Princes Trust took us into the closing session and was followed by the extraordinary Anthony Bennett. Anthony gave us an uplifting talk on surviving multiple cardiac arrests whilst a patient at GOSH and how he uses his experiences to inspire and motivate others to achieve their dreams. It was a proud moment for all staff at GOSH and reminded us all of why we work where we do.

Many thanks must be given to all members of the team, including the YPF and medical students, who worked so hard to make the day such a success. Immediate feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.