Dementia is one of the greatest medical and social challenges facing us in the 21st century. It`s one that needs a whole community response to diminish the fear that surrounds the disease, and close the gaps in understanding . A conference like the one held by Govconnect in London on April 13th goes a long way towards achieving that. The speakers were of the highest quality, and the message delegates were able to take away was one of positive action 

Angela Rippon CBE
Co-chair
Dementia Friendly Communities Champions Group

Harm reduction requires system-wide transformation of health and social care. The ‘Improving Patient Safety & Care 2020` conference brought together clinicians, patient safety experts, researchers, policy makers, innovators, manufacturers and organisational leaders. They focused not only on the ‘why’ we need to change, but the ‘how.’ Patient Safety Learning welcome this multidisciplinary and cross system engagement for a patient safe future and will be working with GovConnect to continue this series of patient safety conferences in 2021.

Helen Hughes
Chief Executive Officer
Patient Safety Learning

The HiAP 2019 conference included a very broad and relevant range of talks from prominent leaders and innovators in the field of health in all policies, who gave insightful information and accounts of how we can work differently to improve health and reduce inequalities. The diversity of delegates provided a varied range of views and ideas, which stimulated valuable and lively discussion. The Govconnect team did an excellent job organising the event, including the pre-event communication and running things seamlessly on the day. 

Claire Greszczuk
Public Health Specialty Registrar
The Health Foundation

The Dementia 2020 conference in April 2019 brought together a wide range of organisations to review current dementia care and also to look at how to improve future services. It was a pleasure to attend and meet so many colleagues from different parts of the country; the networking opportunities were fabulous. I have had several approaches since the event to attend meetings, perform webinars and also to connect with new organisations. A big thank you to the team for such a successful day

Professor Louise Robinson
Director
Newcastle University Institute for Ageing

It was a pleasure and an honour to be invited to speak at the Mental Health 2017 conference on 20th September at the Royal Society of Medicine. If felt it was a well organised conference with thought-provoking content. 

Dr Phil Moore
Chair - Mental Health Commissioners Network
NHS Clinical Commissioners

It was good of you to invite me to Mental Health 2017 on 20th September at the Royal Society of Medicine, well done on organising such a good event. The networking interactions and the audience engagement were for me the highlights.

Gregor Henderson
National Lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Public Health England

Allways reticent regarding booking on such events however this was exceptional. Well organised , factual and inspirational. I have taken many recommendations back to increase safety for our clients working through their addictions. Thank you.

Mrs Karon Brown
Head of Nursing
Delphi

Addaction was delighted to be one of the sponsors of Govconnect’s recent Health in All Policies conference. The agenda for the event was impressive – we were really inspired to hear Sir Michael Marmot’s talk on social health inequalities and what needs to be done to address this. We also found the networking opportunities on the day hugely beneficial due to the fact the conference was very well attended by exactly the right audience - people who are at the heart of key health policy decisions. The Govconnect team clearly worked hard to put on such a smooth and seamless event and we hope to be able to work with them again in the future.  

Hayley Pegden
Head of Marketing
Addaction

The Govconnect conference combined expert speakers and a broad array of individuals involved in public health & prevention to provide a fantastic event, and well worth attending in the future. A future focus on diabetes would be most appreciated!

Dr Mark Jenkins
Medical Director
Oviva UK Ltd

I was delighted to not only present our research at the Govconnect Inaugural Dementia Conference in Edinburgh but also to be able to be a sponsor of this event. In bringing together academics, front line staff, the 3rd sector, policy makers and the commercial sector; the full day meeting both informed and allowed new collaborations and contacts to be made. The care for people with dementia and the ability to present its onset can only be improved and achieved by people and groups working effectively together and knowledge exchange and networking new ideas and innovations is core to us achieving this. I very much look forward to participating in the conference next year

Professor Craig Ritchie
Director
University of Edinburgh Centre for Dementia Prevention

I have spoken at many conferences all over the world during my years as CEO of Fit For Sport on kids activity and Obesity levels. The HiAP 2019 conference run by Govconnect was one of the best. Not only was it a great list of speakers, but the pre event engagement and managed event on the day was really good. The day was organised to engage both speakers and delegates and even had a healthy lunch on offer! Thank you to all the team for a well run event from start to finnish and we look forward to working with you all again soon.

Dean Horridge
Founder – CEO
Fit For Sport

The HENRY webinar, focusing on our work to prevent and manager early child obesity was a great opportunity to showcase our work to support children to get the best start in life. The webinar was well attended and gave us the platform to reach a wide range of professionals across a range of disciplines without the expense and time required to reach a similar audience via a conference presentation. The webinar was interactive with many participants submitting questions/contacting us afterwards. It was very well organised by Govconnect who were constantly on hand to address any issues or queries.

Kim Roberts
CEO
HENRY

Dementia 2020 North was a very successful conference with a good turnout of people to listen to a diverse group of speakers. I was impressed by the number of people who are living with dementia in the audience and by their contributions to the discussion. The delegates maintained their energy well until the end of the day as well. Well done.

Tom Dening
Professor of Dementia Research
University of Nottingham - Centre for Dementia

The dementia North conference was well-organised, well-delivered, informative and engaging and a great success. It brought together a wide range of professionals, academics, people with dementia and carers. As a speaker I was impressed and slightly awed by the people I shared a platform with. I was also impressed with the excellent facilities and also the impressive arrangements and preparation made by Govconnect

Dr Michael Mellors
Social Care & Commissioning Specialist
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Thank you for inviting me to speak at the Dementia 2020 – Implementing the Challenge Conference on 13th April 2017. The conference was one of the best informed and organised events that I have spoken at on health and social care policy and the whole event was very well attended. Govconnect Ltd were very professional in their arrangements and contact with myself, both before and during the event and my presentation and Q&A session went extremely smoothly. It was great to see so much energy and commitment to improving the lives of people with dementia. I would be delighted to speak again at any future events.

Dr Matthew Norton
Director of Policy and Strategy
Alzheimer`s Research UK

Taking part in the Dementia Scotland 2016 conference at Dynamic Earth was very worthwhile for me. I got the latest briefing on what the Scottish government, inspection and education agencies were doing. The research updates from professors who are world leading in their field was inspirational. In addition there was great networking with a different new set of people and old colleagues in dementia care. Through the exhibition I picked up business opportunities and sold a surprising number of my books, as well as having the opportunity to share ideas and advice with a wide range of delegates.

Professor June Andrews OBE
Professor Emeritus
University of Stirling

We truly enjoy and see the benefit from presenting and exhibiting at the Govconnect Dementia 2020 conference. We have been there twice now in 2018 & 2019, met lots of useful connections and potential customers. The conference is organised in a very professional manner and we as a sponsor are taken well care of. It is very likely that we will take part in the future as well.

Stian Lavik
Director of International Markets
Motitech AS

The inagural Dementia Scotland conference was a great success and I was delighted to chair the day in partnership and friendship with Agnes Houston, MBE a Dementia Alumni. We had a great array of speakers with cutting edge expertise on a wide range of issues from lived experience of living with dementia to the science of dementia and policy making.  It was very well attended and the debate was lively.  The British Psychological Society Scotland and our Faculty for the Psychology of Older People is committed to working in partnership with people living with dementia, their supporters and care givers to change how policy and services work. We made a significant start in making this type of event one where people affected by dementia and professionals come together to examine the issues and solutions and support change. The Govconnect team worked closely with DEEP to do this. We look forward to working with Govconnect in future to make the event more inclusive and participative for people living with dementia and to demonstrate that real progress is being made.

Dr Sue Northrop
Vice Chair
British Psychological Society Scotland Committee

The Mental Health 2017 conference brought together some of the leading national authorities on the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health with those delivering effective and innovative services on the ground. The conference ran smoothly, provided informative and thought-provoking content, and crucially gave people the time and space to make connections with each other, share ideas and form networks. I hope it will be the first of many of its kind

Andy Bell
Deputy Chief Executive
Centre For Mental Health

ExtraCare attended the dementia 2020 event in London in April 2019. We had a stand at the conference, as well as leading a workshop on the work we have been doing to support older people with dementia and to share our latest research findings. The conference was extremely useful for us, not only to hear the excellent speakers, but to make contacts in health and social care. It was great to have a full and packed agenda, which made the event really worthwhile. It was very well organised, with Rob and his team ensuring we were informed every step of the way on what we needed to do, on the other delegates attending, as well as the likely benefits for us. I would certainly recommend either going along to one of their events, or being one of their sponsors.

Shirley Hall
Head of Innovation and Wellbeing
The ExtraCare Charitable Trust

 I was delighted to speak at the Mental Health 2017 conference at the Royal Society of Medicine. The venue was fantastic, the conference as a whole was extremely well organised and I was particularly impressed by the audience who were incredibly engaged which created an exciting environment. The event presented lots of opportunities to learn about a number of fantastic innovations that are being created to ensure that people and their families who access mental health receive the care and treatment they deserve. I would like to congratulate the Govconnect team and I am very much looking forward to being a part of future conferences”

Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt
Chief Nurse
Health Education England & and Programme Lead, Nightingale Challenge, Nursing Now

The power of conferences like this is that it brings together a wide range of interested parties; people with dementia, those who have got responsibilities for decision making and planning with experts, in a rarefied environment and adds great leverage. The three biggest priorities for a conference like this are inclusion, inclusion and inclusion, and by funding places for people with dementia who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get here is paramount and you`re absolutely to be congratulated for doing that.

Professor James Goodwin
Chief Scientist
Age UK

I found this conference very helpful, I think it’s brought people together and it’s galvanised action, which will have a ripple on the pond effect far wider than the people here today. I think it’s very helpful to include not only people just with dementia but those on the receiving end of care, it destigmatises, it opens peoples eyes, sets a level playing field, and helps both sides understand things from the other persons point of view, I think it’s terribly important and I congratulate you for having done it.

Professor Ilora Finlay
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
House of Lords

Working with Govconnect on the HiAP 2019 conference was an unexpected pleasure. Of all the conference organisations I have worked with I have not come across one that is so professional, understanding and comprehensive in their approach. I would happily work with them in future. 

Michael Follett
Director, Founder
OPAL Outdoor Play & Learning CIC

Mental Health 2019 held on 26 September at the Royal Society of Medicine was a superb conference delivered to the highest professional standard. The organisers were efficient and welcoming, and the venue was modern and technically well supported. An altogether positive experience.

Duncan Selbie
Chief Executive
Public Health England

Thanks for organising such a great mental health conference at the Royal Society of Medicine. It was good to be able to promote our brand and services to a targeted audience. We made some great contacts there too, both in terms of potential clients and people / companies we could collaborate with. I`m sure we`ll do some good business with the people we met. The govconnect people couldn`t have been more helpful before, during and after the event, and I look forward to working with govconnect again at future events.

Alan Bradshaw
Associate Director of Mental Health
Medigold Health

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Rob and the govconnect team to deliver this formative Health in All Policies conference.  Given the impact this particular topic has on improving outcomes for our vulnerable communities, it was important that we were able to cater for the diverse needs of all attendees. Having sat in on a number of sessions, I believe they struck the right balance. The mixture of strategic policy and evidence from subject matter experts, was blended nicely to link with operational insight from frontline practitioners.  Well done team for delivering such a thought provoking session. Definitely one of the best CPD events I have attended for a while.

James Williams
Director of Public Health
Medway Council

The HiAP 2019 conference was an inspiring event which really brought out some of the key current messages on health inequalities. There was an unusual mix of diverse talents and experience both among the speakers and in the audience. I really came away feeling able to do more in this area.

Professor John Newton
National Director of Health Improvement
Public Health England

It has been a pleasure to support the Improving Patient Safety and Care event this year and to be able to meet and start a dialogue with likeminded professionals, deeply committed to taking a proactive approach to Infection Prevention. On behalf of Molnlycke, I look forward to continuously collaborating with Govconnect through their initiatives to promote Safe Care for the best patient outcomes.

Catia Rodrigues
Surgical Site Infection Specialist
Mölnlycke Health Care

Being part of a Govconnect conference was a fantastic experience. It gave me the opportunity to be part of a very interesting, informative and stimulating day. I was able to network with a number of high profile professionals from different fields of health care and also to be able to promote the hard work we have been doing in South Worcestershire for the benefit of young people. The conference was delivered in a professional and well organised way and was a pleasure to be part of

Dr Philip Thompson
GP Lead for Children
NHS South Worcestershire CCG

The Patients Association was delighted to be a charity partner for the Govconnect Improving Patient Safety and Care 2019 Conference. It gave us the opportunity to give the patients’ perspective, evaluate the safety agenda in the health service and discuss with experts what needs to improve in the NHS. It was a thought-provoking agenda and we look forward to contributing to Govconnect events in future

Lucy Watson
Chair
The Patients Association

The event at the Royal Society of Medicine on 20th September 2017 was a really great conference on mental health, in a good venue with good speakers covering the topic across the age range.  Lots of networking opportunities, which we took advantage of. Govconnect staff were really helpful before and during the event, and unlike many conference organisers they are a social enterprise, so they also give something back to the sector.

Professor Dame Sue Bailey DBE
Chair
Children & Young Peoples Mental Health Coalition

It was a pleasure and an honour to be invited to speak once again at Dementia 2020 at the Royal Society of Medicine, thank you very much for asking me to be on the afternoon panel.  I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the delegates who maintained their energy and enthusiasm to the end. The thought, consideration and outstanding preparation by the team at Govconnect was evident down to the very smallest detail. I was proud to be part of a hugely impressive line-up of speakers and felt that the inclusion of people living with dementia and their care partners in the audience gave the conference a feeling of genuine debate focusing on real issues. I attend many conferences, seminars and events and I can hand-on-heart say this is up there with the very best, I have nothing but praise and commendation for a job very well done

Professor Gillian Leng CBE
Chief Executive
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Well done Govconnect for an excellent HiAP 2019 conference. It’s always good to bring people together to share experiences, and, ideally, some suggested solutions to the knottier public health issues.

Robin Ireland
Director of Research
Health Equalities Group

Govconnect created a great space for learning and sharing ideas during the Mental Health 2018 conference. The speakers were of extremely high calibre and the content gave much food for thought. It was particularly important to see speakers come from both the public, private and voluntary sector, this gave a positive sense of the range of activity going on in the world of mental health. I very much enjoyed the day and will certainly watch out for future events.

Sarah Hughes
Chief Executive
Centre for Mental Health