A raft of well-known names will join the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) this week at its flagship annual conference, Medicine 2024, which will be held in London on 25–26 April 2024.
In a keynote speech, shadow secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting MP will share his vision for the future of health and medicine in 2024 and beyond, while RCP president Dr Sarah Clarke will join Dr Navina Evans, Professor Sheona Macleod and other panellists for a fireside chat about the NHS England Long Term Workforce Plan. Chaired by The Independent’s health correspondent Rebecca Thomas, panellists will discuss questions from the audience about the plan, its proposals and the future of the medical workforce.
Held at the RCP's award-winning conference venue in Regent's Park, the college will welcome around 400 delegates in person, with a further 1,000 plus people registered to access sessions online. Over 2 days, the RCP will host over 30 hours of content, with workshops, panels and lectures from world-leading medical experts.
Plenary sessions on rural healthcare, artificial intelligence and ethics, and health inequalities will sit alongside speeches from political big hitters. Liberal Democrat spokesperson for health, wellbeing and social care Daisy Cooper MP will take to the stage to discuss her healthcare priorities, while clinicians from around the globe will showcase their research in the RCP’s abstract competition.
Dr Chris van Tulleken, infectious diseases doctor, author and broadcaster, will join RCP special advisers Professor Sanjay Agrawal and Professor Ian Gilmore to discuss prevention and ill health, and Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, former deputy chief medical officer for England, will take part in the conference closing debate about whether doctors should – or should not – engage with the pharmaceutical industry, alongside writer/broadcaster GP Dr Margaret McCartney.
A wide variety of workshops and interactive educational sessions will give people the opportunity to learn new skills and debate fresh ideas. Dr Mumtaz Patel, RCP vice president for education and training, will be joined by colleagues to discuss sexual misconduct in medicine and outline the legal frameworks involved, before working in small groups to develop actions that can be taken to tackle workplace harassment.
The theme of this year’s annual conference is ‘the future of medicine’. Delegates will be encouraged to focus on how the NHS is likely to change over the coming years, a question that feels particularly apt as the RCP takes a moment to reset and refocus our attention on supporting and empowering the next generation of physicians.
Looking forward to the conference, RCP president Dr Sarah Clarke said:
‘Our 2-day annual conference is always a highlight of the year as it is such an excellent opportunity to bring so many physicians together. It will set the scene for our work over the coming months: our commitment to deliver the outcome of the post-EGM ballot, our determination to restore the strong reputation of the RCP, and our focus on supporting and empowering our next generation of doctors. After all, they are the future of medicine.’
The full programme can be found online at https://rcpmedicine.co.uk/2024.