Key speakers and workshops will feature at the 2024 Mountbatten Conference, where this year's theme is Achievement in Adversity: How do we develop and sustain resilience in hospice care?

Healthcare professionals from across the country are invited to the event, which will take place at the beautiful and historic Northwood House in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, on Thursday, 17 October, between 9am and 4.45pm.

Among those key speakers will be the University of Exeter's Tia De Nora and the Isle of Wight Council's strategic director of adult social care and housing, Laura Gaudion. 

For Hospice UK, chief operating officer, Craig Duncan will replace Toby Porter, who is unable to attend.

Read more about the key speakers at the Mountbatten Conference 2024 here: Mountbatten Conference 2024 (mountbatten-hampshire.org.uk) 

• Tickets cost £50, which includes tea and coffee, and a buffet lunch
• Scroll down for a link to buy your ticket...

At the 2024 Mountbatten Conference, the annual Frances Sheldon memorial lecture will be delivered by professor of cultural sociology, Dr De Nora, while Craig Duncan will talk about the financial landscape for UK hospices, as the sector deals with unprecedented funding challenges.

Laura Gaudion will deliver a presentation on the social care landscape and the importance of partnerships.

Also speaking will be Mountbatten CEO Nigel Hartley and head of community and public engagement, Chrissie Dawson, as Mountbatten launches a consultation about which of our charity's services matter the most to our community. 

Conference organiser, Dr Elaine Cockerham, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming palliative and end-of-life care colleagues, and health and care professionals, to our annual well-established industry event.

"The Mountbatten Conference is a great opportunity to exchange ideas, grow networks and discover new ways to develop our vital work, in a time of exceptional financial challenge. 

"Our conference will provide a chance to take some time out from day-to-day business, connect with like-minded colleagues and leave feeling re-energised and inspired."

This year, the conference is kindly being sponsored by established Isle of Wight quality care service provider Pacific Care Services.

CLICK HERE to buy YOUR ticket to the Mountbatten Conference 2024

From left, Chrissie Dawson, Craig Duncan, Dr Tia De Nora, Laura Gaudion, Nigel Hartley

On the Isle of Wight, Mountbatten delivers vital expert 24/7 services to Islanders in their own homes and in our Newport hospice, and supports over 2,000 people in any one day.

In Hampshire, our team supports around 1,600 people daily, in patients' homes, across parts of Hampshire and on our inpatient unit, in West End.

Two-thirds of the money we need to operate comes from our community while one third comes from the NHS — and this is under threat, even though our costs are going up.

Some hospices around the country have announced cuts to their services and redundancies, so the chance to share ideas and strategy is more important than ever.

The Mountbatten Conference will take place just a few weeks after the publication of an independent report by Lord Darzi, into the NHS.

Looking at patient access, quality of care and the health system's overall performance, Lord Darzi told the government's secretary of state: "Everyone knows that the health service is in trouble and that NHS staff are doing their best to cope with the enormous challenges. 

"The sheer scope of issues facing the health service has been hard to quantify or articulate. 

"I have been shocked by what I have found during this investigation — not just in the health service but in the state of the nation’s health."  

Join the Mountbatten Conference to learn more about the challenges facing hospices and to discuss ideas for the future.