Over 2,000 care professionals and senior management teams attended UK Care week 2023, with 38% decision makers and 32% with influence on decisions. Workforce and recruitment, business and facilities management, the reputation of the sector and technology in care topped the agenda at the event, with packed sessions, some with only standing positions available. The event was held at the NEC, Birmingham, on the 22-23 March 2023. The CPD accredited programme challenged status-quo thinking on the UK’s care sector, with sessions delivered by the most thought-provoking and insightful leaders and stand-out voices in the industry.

There were over 100 speakers including Jane Townson, CEO of Homecare Association, Kate Terroni, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at The Care Quality Commission, Amrit Dhaliwal, CEO of Walfinch Care Homes, Jayne Connery, Director/Founder of Care Campaign for the Vulnerable and Debbie Harris, Managing Director at Autumna delivered their sessions across the 4 theatres, Keynote, Workforce & Recruitment, Digital & Technology and Business & Facilities / Domiciliary & Person-Centred Care.

Kate Terroni took to the Keynote Stage to share an in-depth update on what local authority assessment will look like in the future, by showing an implementation timeline. Kate was also joined on stage by Janice Tillet, an Expert by Experience who offered an insight into being both deaf and blind with a very moving minute of getting everyone in the crowd to close their eyes and hold their ears. Janice is often asked to carry out access audits for the CQC, experiencing specific services as a person with both sensory and physical disabilities.

The inspirational Our Dementia Choir delivered an incredibly moving session to the whole of the Keynote Theatre. Karen Bonser, choir member and charity manager said “It was a pleasure for Our Dementia Choir to sing at UK Care Week at the NEC this year. We certainly made some noise and created a great atmosphere for the audience! It was great to see so many people there who are carers in some form or other looking to source help and resources for the patients they care for, which includes those living with dementia. We certainly found some extremely useful resources for our Choir community and there was a wealth of information available.  Well done to the team at ROAR B2B for organising the event and inviting us – we hope you will ask us again!  Keep on singing …..  it is the power of music that makes the difference!”

Visitors explored the latest social care solutions, from 150+ exhibitors including apetito, Sona, Specsavers and many more, designed to increase the quality of the care they provide. Interactive features and workshops were also explored, including the CQC Inspector Hub and The Virtual Dementia Tour, which provides an immersive learning experience and insight into what life is like for people living with dementia to enable social care business owners and management teams to ensure that the best tools and techniques for caring are in place. An exciting new feature of UK Care Week 2023 was the Positivity Project by Five on a Bike, which invited visitors and exhibitors into their studio setting to share a positive story or to bust a myth about the care industry.

The Institute of Health and Social Care Management launched the People Plan for Social Care 2023 live at UK Care Week on the Keynote Stage. This conveyed a comprehensive view of the major issues facing social care and offered an appraisal of the current situation, examples of best practice, and recommendations for the future. Jasmeet Rai, Associate Director at RCH Care Home, who was involved in the launch, added that “Now, the focus is on building a collaborative movement to work on the recommendations included within - all of which came from the people who know social care best, ie the people who work in care, who receive care themselves, or who advocate for others using care. Thank you to everyone from UK Care Week who worked so tirelessly behind the scenes to host a great event.”

Steve Clarke, Managing Director Healthcare Portfolio said: "We are thrilled to host this exhibition and provide a platform for care professionals to discover new products and services, network with industry experts, and gain valuable insights into the latest trends in the care industry. This is an exciting time in the care industry, with so many new technologies and approaches emerging.” UK Care Week takes place next year on the 20th-21st March at NEC, Birmingham.

Pre-register for UK Care Week 2024