Patient Flow Transformation 2025: Human Connection at the Heart of Care

This year’s Patient Flow Transformation 2025 (PFT25) opened with a powerful reminder: behind every flow challenge is a human story.

Across the day, delegates heard from frontline voices, national leaders, and technology partners, all connecting back to one theme: when we care for staff, we strengthen care for patients.

A Heartfelt Opening: Lisa Riley

The day began with a moving introduction from Lisa Riley, Deputy CEO of VitalHub UK, who drew on her experience as a nurse to reflect on the theme of the secondary victim. Her words grounded the event in lived reality, reminding everyone of the emotional toll care pressures can have on staff.

As one delegate noted: “It was great to surface the burnout issues and the secondary victim issues; such an important message. Lisa reminded us how to connect personal, professional and digital worlds – an inspiration for innovation.”

Adam Kay: Humour with a Stark Edge

From there, Adam Kay, BAFTA-winning writer and former doctor, delivered a keynote that mixed sharp humour with sobering truth. His candid reflections on life inside the NHS highlighted the very real difficulties faced by those delivering care under constant strain.

His session drew laughter, but also left delegates with a deeper awareness of the cost of compassion when systems are overstretched.

Amandip Sidhu: Compassion, Honesty, and Urgency

Following Adam, Amandip Sidhu of Doctors in Distress offered a heartfelt and unflinching account of the toll that healthcare pressures take on staff mental health.

His session shone a light on the devastating link between working conditions and healthcare suicides, underscoring the urgency of prioritising staff wellbeing as a system-level priority.

The Morning then Turned to the Future

Stella Vig: The Role of Secondary Care in the NHS 10-Year Plan

Stella Vig, National Clinical Director for Elective Care, gave a compelling presentation on the importance of secondary care within the NHS’s 10-year plan.

Her session reminded delegates that patient flow is not only about crisis management in emergency departments, it’s about building sustainable capacity and smarter pathways across the entire system with a focus on outpatients and job planning.

Kevin Cairney & Paul Vinters: Data, OPEL, and Staff Experience

Next, Kevin Cairney and Paul Vinters from National iUEC explored the relationship between high OPEL statuses and staff dissatisfaction.
Their evidence drew a direct line between operational pressure and staff morale, reinforcing the day’s central theme: supporting staff is inseparable from delivering safe and effective care.

Innovation in Action

The morning wrapped with a burst of innovation. VitalHub’s solutions leads and key partners, including ilarna and Deloitte, delivered fast-paced “speed pitches,” showcasing practical tools already helping NHS systems ease pressure, improve visibility, and free up staff to focus on care.

These sessions highlighted technology not as a replacement for human care, but as an enabler of connection—taking away unnecessary stress so that staff can do what they do best.

Afternoon Breakouts: UEC, Planned Care & Workforce Management

The afternoon saw delegates split into three focused streams, each offering practical insights and lessons to take back to their organisations:

• Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC): Leaders and operational managers shared strategies for improving front-door processes, delivery digital transformation at scale , and coordinating across ICS boundaries to improve flow.
• Planned Care: From outpatient redesign to patient tracking, sessions showed how elective transformation can relieve backlogs and improve patient journeys.
• Workforce Management: Sessions tackled retention, wellbeing frameworks, and digital tools to reduce workload, including a highly engaging session from our partners at ilarna, echoing the theme that staff wellbeing and patient care go hand in hand.

Together, these breakouts provided a wealth of knowledge and experience, ensuring delegates left with both big-picture context and practical tools for local change.

Round Table: What Keeps You Awake at Night?

The day culminated in a thought-provoking round table discussion, where delegates were asked: What keeps you awake at night?

Facilitated by Insights, specialists in personality profiling and self-awareness tools, the session helped participants explore the root causes of stress and decision-making under pressure. By surfacing these patterns, delegates left with a clearer sense of how personal insight can strengthen leadership and improve flow.

Closing Reflections

The event closed with heartfelt thanks from Mike Sanders, CEO of VitalHub UK, who reflected on the importance of the conversations and connections made throughout the day. Delegates left with plenty to consider, and a renewed commitment to keep human connection at the heart of human care.

Looking Ahead

Patient Flow Transformation 2025 was a landmark event, reminding us that staff wellbeing and patient care are two sides of the same coin, and that technology, wisely applied, creates the space for humanity in healthcare.

Until Next Time…

Missed it? Stay tuned over the coming weeks as we share highlights, resources, and reflections from the day.

Pre-register now for PFT2026 and be part of the conversation shaping the future of patient flow: https://vitalhub.uk/event/pft26/