About this event

  • Date and time Wed 10 Sep 2025 from 8:45am to 5:00pm
  • Location Royal Society of Medicine
  • Organised by Critical Care Medicine

Rehabilitation after critical illness is essential—not just for individual recovery but for society as a whole. This event brings together patient voices, expert insights, and policy discussions to explore the challenges, solutions, and future directions of rehabilitation care. Participants will gain valuable updates on the upcoming NCEPOD report and practical strategies for implementing change.

The opening session features patient experiences and discusses the role of rehabilitation within the NHS. The second session examines the upcoming NCEPOD report, identifying key challenges and digital solutions. The third session covers policy and political considerations, featuring distinguished speakers from healthcare and government. The event concludes with a focus on future improvements, including a compelling talk on the power of narrative in medicine.

What to expect:

  • The Power of Rehabilitation – Hear firsthand patient experiences and understand why rehabilitation is a crucial part of recovery within the NHS.
  • Current Challenges & Solutions – Explore the barriers patients face and learn about digital and systemic solutions to improve rehabilitation care.
  • Insights from the NCEPOD Report – A first look at key findings, critical “fracture points,” and practical recommendations for change.
  • Policy, Politics & Leadership – Gain insights from leading experts, including the former Intensive Care Society president, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, and NHS England leaders on how policy and politics shape rehabilitation services.
  • Shaping the Future – Discuss the next steps for implementing change and conclude with an inspiring talk on “The Importance of Narrative in Medicine.”

The Critical Care Medicine Section: Audit and Quality Improvement Project Prize will also be presented and awarded at the meeting. Click here to submit your abstract.

This event is designed to empower healthcare professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to drive meaningful change. Join us as we shape the future of rehabilitation together. 

 

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Tickets

Early Bird pricing available until 29 July 2025.

Member

RSM Fellow RSM Associate RSM Trainee RSM Retired Fellow RSM Student
£77.00 £46.00 £46.00 £46.00 £24.00

Non - Member

Consultant / GP / SAS Doctors AHP / Nurse / Midwife Trainee Student
£141.00 £84.00 £84.00 £44.00

Agenda

View the programme

Registration, tea and coffee
Welcome and introduction

Dr Nishita Desai, Past President of RSM Critical Care section, Consultant in Critical care at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation

Session 1: How do we do better?

Chair: Professor Nicholas Hart, Professor of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Kings College London and Consultant at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London

Patient experiences

Baroness Campbell of Surbiton & Speaker to be confirmed

The problem – Who, why and the economic impact

Speaker to be confirmed

Prevention is better than cure

Prof Zudin Puthucheary, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, Queen Mary University of London and Consultant at Barts Health NHS Trust, London

Panel Discussion
Tea and coffee break

Session 2: NCEPOD rehabilitation after critical illness: Mending the fracture points

Chair: Dr Yasser Al-Raweshidy, Consultant in Critical Care and Acute Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London  

Fracture points & recommendations

Professor David McWilliams, Professor of Critical Care and Rehabilitation, Clinical Academic Physiotherapist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust

Implementation

Kate Tantham, Specialist Research and Education Sister ICU at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. Plymouth

Digital care co-ordination

Prof Louise Rose, Professor of Critical Care Nursing at King's College London, London

Panel discussion
Lunch

Poster viewing

Session 3: Politics, policy and programme: Driving a better future for our patients

Chair: Professor Stephen Brett, Professor of Critical Care, Imperial College and consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London,

Politics

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Deputy Speaker, House of Lords and Professor of palliative medicine at Cardiff  University, Cardiff 

Policy

Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director for Age UK

Programmes

Professor Suzanne Rastrick OBE, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for England

Panel discussion
Tea and coffee break

Session 4: A brighter future for our patients post critical care patients

Chair: Prof Bronwen Connolly, Professor of Critical Care, Critical Care Physiotherapist at Queen's University Belfast

The importance of narrative in medicine

Dr Matt Morgan, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, Honorary Professor at Cardiff University and Curtin University in Australia 

Next steps towards a revolution after critical illness

Prof Nicholas Hart, Professor of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Kings College London and  Consultant at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London

Panel discussion
Concluding remarks 

Prof Marlies Ostermann, President of RSM Critical Care section, Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Consultant in Critical Care & Nephrology at  Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London

Close of meeting
Annual general meeting

Location

Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole St, Marylebone, London, W1G 0AE, United Kingdom

Registration for this event will close at 1:00 am on Tuesday 9 September 2025. Late registrations will not be accepted.

The agenda is subject to change at any time

If the event is recorded, we can only share presentations that we have received permission to share. There is no guarantee that all sessions will be available after the event; this is at the presenter’s and RSM’s discretion.

All views expressed at this event are of the speakers themselves and not of the Royal Society of Medicine, or the speaker's organisations.

This event will be recorded and stored by the Royal Society of Medicine and may be distributed in the future on various Internet channels.