Our Key Takeaways from NHS ConfedExpo 2026

This year’s NHS ConfedExpo brought together healthcare leaders, policymakers, clinicians, and innovators, creating a sense of momentum across the conference’s two days of discussion, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The getUBetter team were fortunate enough to have a stand alongside Health Innovation Network, and were on hand to help explain how we align with, and support, the NHS’s ongoing priorities.

As the NHS ConfedExpo is the UK’s leading health and care conference, it came as no surprise that there was no shortage of innovation or a lack of ideas. The recurring question focused on whether the system has the capacity and the alignment to turn strategies into action.

Themes Shaping Conversations

1. Ambition to Action

A consistent message throughout the conference was that the NHS doesn’t lack vision, but it does need the capability and confidence to deliver it. Keynote sessions and panel discussions gave leaders a chance to speak openly on the challenges of turning long-term strategies into measurable outcomes. While there is an agreement on the direction of travel, the focus has shifted firmly towards implementation and demonstrating impact at scale.

2. Prevention and Neighbourhood Health Took Centre Stage

The move towards preventative, community-based care was one of the strongest themes of the event. Speakers highlighted the need to shift resources and decision-making closer to local communities, with neighbourhood health models increasingly viewed as critical to improving population health outcomes and reducing demand on acute services. The conversations reflected a growing consensus that long-term sustainability depends on how we can encourage supporting people before they enter the health care system.

3. Making Digital Transformation Work in Practice

Technology remains a major enabler of NHS transformation, but the conversation has matured. Rather than focusing solely on new innovations, conversations explored how to integrate existing technologies more effectively across organisations and care settings. Topics included AI, data sharing, and workforce adoption. All with an emphasis on ensuring digital solutions deliver tangible benefits for clinicians, patients, and operational teams. The challenge is no longer focused on whether technology exists, instead we need to look at how quickly and consistently it can be embedded across the system, and assess whether the tools we are adopting have been reviewed in line with what the system needs and whether it is solving a direct need.

What Did Our Team Have to Say?

Headline sessions set strategic direction, but as always, some of the most valuable conversations happened in workshops, breakout sessions, and our own informal discussions. The team could be found deep in conversations at getUBetter’s stand throughout the event, here are some of the key insights taken from our time in Manchester.

Carey McClellan, CEO & Founder:

“This year’s NHS Confed Expo felt more settled than last year, which was dominated by AI and unknown change. We enjoyed the focus on digital technology and AI as well as; health inequalities, the transition to the new integrated care systems and locally delivered neighbourhoods. We had valuable conversations about delivering our digital technology across complex health system, providing self-management at scale, enabling localisation to neighbourhoods while providing ICBs with safe, standardised and end-to-end pathway support. Exciting times ahead. A big thank you to the Health Innovation Network for welcoming us into their innovation zone.”

Hayley Coachafer, Head of Deployment:

“Attending the NHS Confed Expo for the first time was a fantastic experience, with valuable conversations focused on how digital technology and self-management platforms can support health systems in delivering more consistent, accessible care while helping to reduce health inequalities. The Health Innovation Network Innovation Zone provided an excellent opportunity to connect with both existing getUBetter partners and organisations keen to learn more about our approach. A particular highlight was the strong focus on Women’s Pelvic Health across many ICBs. It was encouraging to see this high on the agenda and discuss how our four-in-one solution can support these ambitions.”

Jenny McCullough, Chief Clinical Officer:

“NHS Confed was as always, a valuable opportunity to have conversations, listen and learn. My two areas of focus this year were women’s health and neighbourhood health. Through the conversations I had on the Health Innovation Network women’s health panel and talks I went to on the refreshed women’s health strategy; it gave me clarity on the areas of focus over the coming years. It was useful to hear what the challenges are on the ground and opened up discussions around how digital health tech, like getUBetter has the potential to support. Confed was a strong reminder that the NHS landscape is forever changing and so the need to remain flexible to this especially in the digital space is important, but also that as always, the real progress comes from effective collaboration and keeping patients at the centre of what we do.”

Kate Farrell, Product Manager:

“Attending NHS Confed for the first time was a valuable experience, particularly from a product perspective. I was struck by the strong appetite to harness AI to improve productivity, patient outcomes, and reduce waiting lists, alongside thoughtful discussion about how to do this safely and responsibly. One standout theme was the use of ambient voice technology for clinical note scribing, which has recently been shown to increase direct patient interaction time by 23.5%.

I’m looking forward to returning next year to see how AI continues to evolve. In the meantime, I’ll be focused on how getUBetter can apply machine learning to enhance user experience, patient outcomes, and digital inclusion.”

Jessie Davies, Content & Community Engagement Marketing Manager:

“NHS Confed was a fantastic opportunity to step back and listen to what really matters across the system. What stood out most was the clear appetite for collaboration, alongside a growing focus on using digital and innovation in a way that genuinely delivers value for patients and clinicians. For me, it reinforced the importance of telling clear, evidence-led stories about impact, and ensuring we’re not just talking about innovation, but showing how it works in practice and supports better outcomes at scale. Providing value and support for everybody will be the focus going forward.” 

Looking Ahead

Opportunities to connect at events like this are a valuable way to bring together different perspectives around a shared goal: improving outcomes for patients and communities.

As the conversations from Confed continue, our focus is on ensuring that what we’ve learned is put into practical action. We’ll be taking these insights forward into our projects, partnerships, and strategic planning over the months ahead.