Keynote speeches from leading experts Dr Bola Owolabi and Professor Sir Michael Marmot among packed agenda.
The Royal Society of Medicine’s inaugural Tackling Inequalities conference has been rescheduled for Wednesday 14 September 2022.
It had been due to take place on 23 June 2022 but was postponed due to rail strikes.
Everybody who registered for the original date has been automatically allocated a space at the rescheduled conference and the remaining tickets are now available to book on the RSM website.
The conference is in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement and will bring together healthcare leaders from major clinical specialisms and public-health experts to discuss how to take measurable actions to address health inequalities in the UK.
Dr Bola Owolabi, Director – Health Inequalities at NHS England and NHS Improvement, will give a keynote address at the conference. She said: “As we move out of the burning platform of the COVID-19 pandemic, this conference gives us an opportunity to once again rally around a burning ambition to narrow the health inequalities gap.
“I look forward to having a conversation with all of you at the conference on the work that we are trying to do nationally as NHS England and NHS Improvement.
“But, more importantly, to hear the work that you are doing at the frontline, where healthcare inequalities are occurring, so that we can all leave the conference informed, with greater insight, greater energy and determination to bring our collective energies in service of our shared ambition.
“I look forward to seeing you there.”
The eminent Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL, will deliver the other keynote speech.
Other leading figures from the RSM, NHS and other national bodies have been confirmed for the programme.
Booking for the event is now open
The conference is the first milestone event of the RSM’s new, multi-year Tackling Inequalities programme.
The conference will include key speaker and panel sessions in the morning. These panels will focus on the importance of the key clinical areas and the role of National Bodies in reducing healthcare inequalities. In the afternoon there will be expert sessions, focusing on the identified five clinical areas of health inequalities and a session on prevention. These will be delivered by senior leads from NHS England and specialist leads from the Royal Society of Medicine.
The conference will be opened by Professor Nik Patel, Chair of Academic Board and Council Trustee at the Royal Society of Medicine.
Professor Patel said: “Our recent pandemic has exposed a gulf that exists.
“It made me realise how much more we could do to raise awareness and make a difference.
“Working with the NHS, we have brought together national leaders and international experts to inform us and encourage debate on health inequalities.
“As well as the latest research, we will have practical examples of how to make a difference.
“We feel confident that those of you who attend will leave equipped with tools to tackle health inequalities in whichever sector you may work.”