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Conference
Past event

THIS Space 2024

Join us at THIS Space 2024!

THIS Space is THIS Institute’s annual conference. We welcome anyone with an interest in the evidence for improving the quality and safety of healthcare.

THIS Space aims to:

  • share learning on what works in healthcare improvement, what doesn’t, and why
  • stimulate innovation and fresh thinking on how we can improve care
  • explore imaginative ways of understanding problems and evaluating solutions
  • connect people who share a common goal of improving healthcare

We invite you to take a seat at our fully remote flagship event on Tuesday 26 November. The event is free to attend and open to all, but booking is essential.

Registration is now closed

Programme

All times listed in GMT.

Session
10:00–10:10 Welcome and introduction

• Mary Dixon-Woods, Director, THIS Institute

10:10–11:00 Over-testing and over-diagnosis 

This session will identify the challenges that over-testing and over-diagnosis pose for healthcare, including an exploration of the impact of the increased use of AI.
  
• Natalie Armstrong, Professor of Healthcare Improvement Research, University of Leicester
• Charlotte Augst, Independent social sector consultant
• Florence Doo, Director of Innovation, University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center
• Mark Oakes, Patient representative
• Zoë Fritz, Wellcome Fellow in Society and Ethics, THIS Institute
• Joanne McPeake, Professor of Nursing, THIS Institute

11:00–11:10 Lightning talk

Room 1: Matt Gittus, Specialist Nephrology Registrar, University of Sheffield
Mixed methods in healthcare research
Head shot of Matt Gittus
Room 2: Jonathan Gillham, PhD Student in AI-enabled Healthcare Systems, University College London
Personalised uncertainty estimates for intelligent blood test ordering

Head shot of Jonathan Gillham
11:10–11:15 Comfort break
11:15–12:05 Improving maternity care: The importance of exploring the system and co-designing solutions

This session will consider how maternity services can be improved through the application of both social and safety science, and working collaboratively with healthcare staff, families and those managing services. It will also explore how policy and professional bodies are supporting services to better manage the risks of maternity care.

• Matthew Woodward, Research Associate, THIS Institute
• Jan van der Scheer, Senior Research Associate, THIS Institute
• Ranee Thakar, President, Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG)
• Tony Kelly, National Specialty Advisor, National Maternity and Neonatal Programme, NHS England
• Nicole Lawal, Founder, B3 Bumps Birth and Belonging CIC
• Jane O’Hara, Director of Research, THIS Institute


12:05–12:15 Lightning talk

Room 1: Justin Waring. Dean of Social Sciences & Humanities, Loughborough University​
Strategies for implementing new service models: ​learning from POPS
Head shot of Justin Waring
Room 2: Lal Russell, Senior Physiotherapist and Research Fellow, University of Nottingham
What are the challenges of national clinical audit in the community? 

Headshot of Lal Russell
12:15–13:00 Lunch and networking break
13:00–13:50 What’s the problem with access to general practice?

Proposing that we have not really understood the problem of access in ways that help us design good solutions, this session tackles the wide range of influences on access and offers fresh perspectives on possible next steps.  

• Helen Atherton, Professor of Primary Care Research, University of Southampton
• Jake Beech, Policy Fellow, The Health Foundation
• Akbar Ansari, Research Associate, THIS Institute
• Kath Checkland, Professor of Health Policy and Primary Care, University of Manchester
• Azeem Majeed, Professor of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London
• Carol Sinnott, Senior Clinical Research Associate and GP, THIS Institute

13:50–14:00 Lightning talk

Room 1: Helen West, Advanced Specialist Eating Disorders Dietitian, King’s College London
Exploring the impact of reducing NGT (nasogastric tube) feeding under restraint and co-designing meal support in a specialist eating disorder unit
Headshot of Helen West
Room 2: Kristina Wanyonyi-Kay, Research Programme Leader, THIS Institute
THIS Institute Core Learning Systems
14:00–14:05 Comfort break
14:05–14:55 Today’s challenges in responsible data science and healthcare innovation

The session will address equitable access, data privacy, patient voice and other ethical considerations in data science and healthcare innovation. The discussion will seek to establish best practices for the responsible innovation of healthcare that aim to ensure these advancements benefit all, while safeguarding patient rights and promoting public trust.

• Jessica Morley, Postdoctoral research Associate, Yale Digital Ethics Center​ 
• Xiaoxuan Liu, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham
• Brian Chapman, Associate Professor in Biomedical Informatics, University of Melbourne, Australia, and an expert by experience
• Niels Peek, Professor of Data Science and Healthcare Improvement, THIS Institute

14:55–15:05 Event close

• Malte Gerhold, Director of Innovation and Improvement, The Health Foundation

15:05–15:30 Meet the speakers

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