Lee Trueman is Chairing the People, Workforce & Wellbeing Theatre at the Birmingham Care Show
We’re delighted to share that our Senior Business Development Manager, Lee Trueman, will be chairing the People, Workforce & Wellbeing Theatre at this year’s Birmingham Care Show!
That’s not all….
He has also put together this comprehensive overview of the different sessions that will take place over the two days!
Speaking about the announcement:
I honestly can’t put into words how excited I am to be chairing the People, Workforce & Wellbeing Theatre at Care Show Birmingham 2025 this October. Two whole days of sessions that get right to the heart of care: the people, the workforce, the culture, the tough conversations, and the big ideas. It’s going to be emotional, inspiring, and I think, game-changing.
Day One – Wednesday, the 8th of October:
We’ll kick things off with a focus on something we can never talk about enough: employee wellbeing. Dr Olivia Curno, CEO, and Peter Norgate, People Director, both from Elizabeth Finn Homes, will be talking about promoting wellness in the workforce. It’s the perfect opener because we all know care staff give so much of themselves, but they need looking after too.
From there, we dive straight into co-production in practice, led by Kathryn Marsden OBE and Deborah Rozansky from SCIE, and with two members of the National Coproduction Advisory Group: Jacqui Darlington and Caroline Waugh. This isn’t box-ticking, this is the real deal, practical approaches and success stories that show how involving people properly changes outcomes.
Midday brings a session I know will move people: Let’s Talk About Death and Dying with Katie Costello. Katie has this rare gift of making the hardest subject feel human, compassionate, and open. Palliative care isn’t about giving up; it’s about dignity and choice, and Katie will help us face that head-on.
Then we’ve got a big one: An update on CQC’s Dementia Strategy. Stefan Kallee from CQC, alongside expert by experience Jayne Rigby, will be sharing how the regulator is approaching dementia care going forward. Dementia affects so many lives, and this session feels crucial — not just for policy, but for the real people and families who live with it every single day.
The afternoon has a practical edge, starting with navigating quality statements and evidence categories, led by Paula Cashmore and Julie Garrity. I know for a lot of providers the framework can feel like alphabet soup, so this will bring some clarity and calm to the chaos. And we finish strong with Dr Nilesh Bharakhada from PRSB, who’ll show us how personalised care and support plan standards can actually make life easier for both staff and the people they care for.
That’s just day one. Packed doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Day Two – Thursday, the 9th of October:
We’re starting with something really powerful: the results of the 2000 voices care worker wellbeing survey, co-produced with the Care Workers’ Charity. This is a proper insight into how care workers are really feeling, and it’s going to set the tone for some honest conversations.
Later in the morning, we shift gears and ask: how does language shape how the public sees care? Daniel Casson, Jayne Sambrooks, Jennifer Pearl, Simon Bottery, Tilly Simmons, and Neil Crowther will be unpacking how words matter more than we think. If we want to shift perceptions of the sector, this is where it starts.
Midday, we take on something urgent and uncomfortable but absolutely vital: modern slavery and the exploitation of workers, with Clair Brown and Holly Spiers. These issues are real, and they demand our attention and action.
Then comes one of my personal highlights: PINCH ME: Identifying deterioration and reducing avoidable hospital admissions. With Stella Shaw, Liz Blacklock and Dr Kirsten Protherough, this is the session that proves proactive care isn’t just good practice — it saves lives and keeps people where they want to be: at home, not in hospital.
And to round off the programme, we’ll be diving into psychological safety at work with Lauri Smith from The Civility Gap. Because if we don’t create safe spaces and supportive cultures for our teams, nothing else sticks. It’s the glue that holds everything together.
Why I’m So Excited:
Chairing this theatre feels like such a privilege because it’s not just about theory or policy. Every single session brings something real, practical, and powerful. From staff wellbeing and workforce culture to dementia strategy, to those raw conversations about dying, it’s the stuff that really matters.
If you’re at Care Show this year, make sure you swing by the People, Workforce & Wellbeing Theatre. You’ll leave with ideas, inspiration, and maybe even a lump in your throat – I know I will.
See you at the NEC, and make sure you bring your best questions with you. I can’t wait.
Click here to check out the full conference programme for this year’s show.
