Opinion: A moment for real clarity, not just conversation 

This year’s NHS Confed Expo couldn’t be better timed. Not just because of the important conversations it enables, but because of the context in which it’s taking place. 

As I arrive in Manchester for this year’s event, we’re expecting the Spending Review to confirm the resources the NHS will have going forward.  

Alongside that, speculation about the NHS 10-Year Plan is swirling across LinkedIn posts, policy roundtables and trade press columns. Everyone’s asking what it will say and, more importantly, what it will mean. 

At Future Care Capital, our hope is that both the money and the plan converge around a clear set of priorities.  

Because if there was ever a time for alignment – across funding, ambition and delivery – it’s now. 

What we want to see 

We believe the next chapter for the NHS must go beyond simply identifying barriers to innovation.  

It’s time for a step-change in how we remove them: trust by trust, team by team, project by project.  

Innovation isn’t a siloed function – it’s a way of working, and a culture that must be enabled across the whole system. 

We hope to see: 

• A real shift from analogue to digital ways of working. Not just a catchy headline, but something tangible set out in a roadmap.  

• Beyond that, a move towards innovation-first thinking, where digital is just one enabler among many, not the only one, is a further step that should be considered.  

• A normalisation of return on investment measures for innovation, not just financial, but in time saved, patient outcomes improved, and workforce efficiency 

• A commitment to scaling what works, i.e. proven innovations that address multi-site, systemic challenges and are ready for widespread adoption.  

• A stronger focus on the people side of transformation. That means upskilling our workforce, embedding AI literacy, and ensuring we keep the human at the heart of health and care 

• Schemes and incentives that actively encourage innovation – too often, parts of the system preserve the status quo with little benefit to patients or public finances. Delayed hospital discharge is a stark example 

• Recognition that teams cannot improve what they’re too stretched to reimagine – the system must create space, not just pressure. Incentives may help, but other levers must be pulled to unlock capacity for change 

What we’ll be talking about 

FCC will be using Confed to have grounded conversations with partners about how to make these ambitions real.  

Our work in innovation management and impact evaluation places us at the intersection of ideas and implementation. We’re not here to observe from the sidelines, we’re here to make things work. 

We exist to break down barriers, bridge silos, and enable systems to change – not in theory, but in practice. 

So, as the NHS reflects on what’s next, the money to do what next becomes clear and as national bodies evolve to support delivery, our message is clear: The future of health and care innovation will depend on clarity, commitment and collaboration. And we’re ready to play our part.