The conference has a packed agended which will bring together doctors, campaigners, and healthcare leaders to discuss key issues facing the NHS and the medical profession.

It takes place on Saturday 10 October at Bedern Hall in York. In-person attendance is £50 per delegate limited to 50 places. Book your place now.

The conference will also be streamed live to enable colleagues to participate remotely. Online attendance is £25 and places are available to book now.

Conference speakers

Speakers are set to include consultant physician Dr Louella Vaughan, and surgeon, author, and equality advocate Dr David Sellu, who will deliver the Paul Noone Lecture.

Dr Sarah Jacques, DAUK’s GP co-lead, and Dr David Zigmond of DFNHS, will speak on the future of general practice.

Running order, which is subject to change:

10.00 am – Registration for a 10.30 am start. Tea and coffee available

10.30 am – Opening welcome from the chairs of DAUK and DFNHS

11.00 am – Dr Louella Vaughan – Equality in the NHS
Followed by questions.

12.00 pm – Dr Sarah Jacques (DAUK) and Dr David Zigmond (DFNHS) – The problems facing general practice
Followed by questions.

1.00 pm – Lunch

2.00 pm – Dr David Nicholls (DAUK) – The role and dangers of Palantir in the NHS
Followed by questions.

3.00 pm – Radd Seiger, lawyer and crisis manager – Patient safety in the NHS
Followed by questions.

4.00 pm – Tea and coffee break

4.30 pm – The Paul Noone Memorial Lecture
Delivered by Dr David Sellu – Misuse of disciplinary procedures and injustice in the NHS
Followed by questions.

5.30 pm – Chairs’ closing remarks

6.00 pm – Close of conference

6.30 pm – Evening meal (booked separately)

Attendance and booking Information

• In-person attendance: £50 per delegate (limited to 50 places). Book your place now.
• Online attendance: £25 with full interactive access.
• Lunch and tea and coffees.
• An optional evening meal will be available to book separately.

We are a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation led by frontline doctors, for frontline doctors. We are volunteers and our collective aim is to give frontline workers a voice to be heard.

Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder.

Threads of Survival

Christine Hyde, one of the founders of Threads of Survival, said: “More than 160 people across the country – from children to 80 year olds, from professional textile artists to those who had never sewn before – became involved in the making of a national quilt, and numerous local quilts. “We are grateful to them all.” DAUK invited Christine, and Cathy Dunbar and Gaynor Lloyd from the project, to exhibit at our recent conference. They used the platform to encourage people to create a quilt or quilts, inspired by and in memory of Dr Vaughan. Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK vice chair and lead for the conference, said: “Threads of Survival was such a powerful project during the pandemic and continues to provide social and political commentary. “It really resonated with DAUK and we were delighted to be able to welcome them to our conference. “We were touched by their invite for people to create something inspired by Jenny and the things she stood for.” Anyone interested in making a patch should email Threads of Survival. Find out more about Threads of Survival. DAUK is run by frontline doctors for frontline. Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder or by becoming a member.

Jenny Vaughan Memorial Conference

DAUK chair Ms Helen Fernandes said: “Thank you to everyone who made our inaugural conference such a success. “It was a day to be inspired by the presentations and discussions, and also by the enthusiasm and commitment of our members. “We have a lot of work to do. “Doctors and the NHS are under more pressure than ever. “But the conference demonstrated the power of collaboration and has certainly given me a renewed sense of purpose.” One delegate said it was ‘one the most enjoyable conferences I have attended’. Another said ‘congratulations on an excellent mix of highly informative sessions’.

Huge success

One delegate told us ‘excellent speakers, motivating and empowering’. Another said ‘it was a huge success’, while one simply said ‘I am not alone’. We’ve created a gallery of photos from the day. It was opened by Dr David Sellu, who talked about his life story and Dr Vaughan’s involvement in the quashing of his conviction for gross negligence manslaughter. We heard from Dr Richard Marks, chair of Anaesthetists United, in the week the organisation started its legal challenge against the GMC over the regulation of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs).

Physician associates

Dr Marks was taking part in a panel discussion on PAs and AAs. Chaired by DAUK’s Dr David Nicholl, it also featured former DAUK chair Dr Matt Kneale; consultant orthopaedic surgeon Professor Scarlett McNally; and Janet Eastham, the Telegraph’s social and religious affairs editor, who has reported extensively on PAs. DAUK sustainability lead Dr Matt Lee talked about the health impact of climate change and our work in this area. Dr Shireen Kassam, consultant haematologist and honorary senior lecturer at King’s College Hospital, discussed plant-based eating for health and the planet.

Media panel

A panel discussion helping to demystify working with and in the media was really well received. It featured contributions from Emma Wilkinson, vice-chair of the Medical Journalists’ Association; GP and media medic Dr Punam Krishan; and GP, broadcaster, and campaigner Dr Anita Raja. The discussion covered whistleblowing, misinformation, and how to build a media or social media presence. Prof McNally delivered a brilliant, quick-fire presentation on how to save the NHS. The morning session was brought to a close by the hilarious award-winning comedian Dr Benji Waterhouse.

Law theme

There was a law theme to the second half of the day. Esteemed barrister Imran Khan KC spoke on the experience of injustice. A talk on fitness to practise and freedom of speech by Andrea James, a legal expert in professional discipline and healthcare regulatory law, was really well received. A presentation on fitness to practise myth busting by the GMC’s Dr Andrew Hoyle was followed by a lively Q&A. DAUK’s GP committee members highlighted their work on behalf of general practice and the relationships they are building with other organisations.

Prize winner

Dr Neena Jha was the winner of the Jenny Vaughan Memorial Prize for her poem Who failed them?. Read more about the prize and Dr Jha’s poem. NHS palliative care doctor and acclaimed author Dr Rachel Clarke brought the day to a fitting close with a brilliant talk on ‘Kindwashing and other bad medicine’. Dr Clarke took to social media after the conference to discuss her speech. She said: “Huge thanks to the DAUK for inviting me to give the closing keynote of the Jenny Vaughan Memorial Conference. “I spoke on a subject dear to my heart – the insidious ‘kindwashing’ of UK medicine.” Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

Conference speaker books

The panel discussion on the issues facing general practice were built around Why Can’t I See My GP? by DAUK’s vice chair Dr Ellen Welch. The book is central to DAUK’s campaign work and MP briefings on the GP crisis. All royalties are donated to DAUK. Dr Rachel Clarke, NHS palliative care doctor, is the author of multiple Sunday Times bestselling books about medicine. Her most recent, The Story of a Heart, tells the tale of a heart transplant that changed UK legal history, while Breathtaking, which revealed how NHS staff confronted the height of the pandemic, was adapted into a major ITV television series. You Don’t Have to be Made to Work Here, was a Sunday Times bestseller by Dr Benji Waterhouse, an NHS consultant psychiatrist, and award-winning comedian and writer. In it, Dr Waterhouse provides a fly-on-the-padded-wall account of medicine’s most mysterious and controversial speciality. Visit the Book Shelf page on the DAUK website for more details of book offers for members. Support our work by donating to our GoFundMe.

Tickets

The last few tickets for the in-person conference are available. Register here to join the conference online. Dr Vaughan was made an OBE in 2022 for her work, particularly in supporting doctors convicted of gross negligence manslaughter. They include Dr David Sellu, who will open a packed conference programme with a talk about Dr Vaughan. It will be followed by a panel discussion on physician associates in the NHS. This will be chaired by DAUK’s Dr David Nicholl. It will feature former DAUK chair Dr Matt Kneale; Anaesthetists United chair Dr Richard Marks; consultant orthopaedic surgeon Professor Scarlett McNally; and Janet Eastham, the Telegraph’s social and religious affairs editor, who has reported extensively on physician associates. Dr Shireen Kassam, consultant haematologist and honorary senior lecturer at King’s College Hospital, will discuss plant-based eating for health and the planet.

Panel discussion

A media panel will feature Emma Wilkinson, vice-chair of the Medical Journalists’ Association, GP and media medic Dr Punam Krishan, and GP, broadcaster, and campaigner Dr Anita Raja. Prof McNally will talk about how to save the NHS before consultant psychiatrist Dr Benji Waterhouse will join remotely to perform his award-winning comedy. The afternoon session will start with Imran Khan KC speaking on the experience of injustice. Andrea James, a legal expert in professional discipline and healthcare regulatory law, will talk about fitness to practise and freedom of speech. GMC fitness to practise myth busting and compassionate regulation is the topic for the GMC’s Dr Andrew Hoyle.

Conference

A discussion on general practice in 2025 will be facilitated by DAUK’s GP committee followed by a presentation on Threads of Survival. Dr Rachel Clarke, NHS palliative care doctor and acclaimed author, will close the day. She will talk about the impact of Covid, and maintaining meaning and reward in medicine. The conference is free for DAUK members. We’re encouraging non-members to join DAUK or support our mission with a donation to our GoFundMe. Please support our work. Register here to join the conference online.

Prof McNally

The ninth woman ever to be elected as a member of the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons, Prof McNally is deputy director of the Centre for Perioperative Care. An electric-cycle advocate, mother of four adult children, and a 4th Dan Karate black belt, Prof McNally is living with myeloma and cardiac amyloidosis. She is a frequent speaker and regular writer on careers, diversity, bullying, sustainability, perioperative care, myeloma, exercise, active travel and how to fix the NHS.

DAUK conference

Prof McNally will be taking part in the discussion on physicians associates in the NHS at the conference. The conference takes place at the Wellcome Collective in London from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 17 May. It is free but donations and contributions can be made via our crowd funder. Please support our work. Imran Khan KC, Dr Rachel Clarke, and Dr Punam Krishan have already been confirmed to talk at the conference. Tickets are available now from Eventbrite.

Shocked at all the plastic waste in hospital?
Wondering how Facebook is now carbon net zero, and yet the NHS is still contributing 1/20th of the UK’s carbon emissions?
Come along to the first ever Eco Medics conference on 8th May – a half-day FREE event all about sustainable healthcare, and what YOU can do to make things better – for patients, and planet.
Register now at bitly.com/ecomedics2021 and don’t forget to spread the word on Insta/Twitter @eco_medics
See you there!
(PS don’t delay, 150 tickets have already gone so don’t miss out!)