NHS ConfedExpo 2025 Reflections — Part One: A Vision for Primary Care
By Tom Beadle, COO, Pure Unity Health
This is the first in a three-part series from Tom Beadle, Chief Operating Officer at Pure Unity Health, reflecting on key takeaways from the 2025 NHS ConfedExpo, held on June 11–12 in Manchester.
In this first part, he highlights the main themes from the two-day conference, focusing on the evolving role of primary care and the NHS’s planned shift towards community-based, digitally enabled, and prevention-focused services. Part two will explore the challenges and barriers to delivering a ‘Neighbourhood Health Service’, and Part three will delve into some of the different groups and bodies that will make up local health services.
I had the pleasure of attending the 2025 NHS ConfedExpo, held on June 11th and 12th at Manchester Central. This event brought together over 6,800 leaders, professionals, and partners from across the health and care sector. This year’s event served as a critical platform to address the pressing challenges facing the health service and offered a profound insight into the evolving role of primary care within the future NHS landscape.
In part 1 of this series, I want to give you a flavour of the main points that were conveyed over the two days.
Key Themes and Content: A Shift in Focus, Centred on Primary Care
A recurring thread throughout the Expo was the urgent need for a fundamental shift in the NHS operating model, with primary care positioned firmly at its heart. Both the Chief Executive for NHS England, Sir James Mackey and Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, spoke on and powerfully articulated a “Plan for Change”, focusing on three major transformations. All of which have radical implications for general practice and community health services:
- From Hospital to Community Care: This was arguably the most significant theme for primary care. The vision outlined at the Expo is one where more care is delivered closer to home, significantly reducing the reliance on acute hospital settings. For primary care, this means:
- Strengthening Neighbourhood Health Models: The concept of “neighbourhood health models” was a prominent discussion point, aiming for more comprehensive, joined-up services where people live. This will see GPs working even more closely with multidisciplinary teams to manage population health at a local level.
- Enhanced Roles for Primary Care Networks (PCNs): Expect to see PCNs empowered with greater autonomy and resources to commission and deliver a wider range of services, becoming the true hubs of community health. Discussions highlighted the need for increased flexibility in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to allow PCNs to recruit the diverse skill mix appropriate for their local populations.
- From Analogue to Digital Systems: The digital transformation agenda holds immense promise for primary care, aiming to streamline processes, improve access, and free up clinical time.
- The NHS App as the First Port of Call: The vision is for the NHS App to become a comprehensive digital gateway for patients, offering not just appointment booking and GP record access, but also features like real-time referral trackers, secure messaging with GPs, and even video consultations. This shift will require general practices to adapt their workflows and ensure equitable access for all patient demographics, including those who are digitally excluded.
- Data-Driven Primary Care: The “NHS Federated Data Platform” was highlighted as a revolutionary step, enabling data-driven insights that can support population health management and early intervention in primary care. This will move primary care towards more proactive, preventative approaches, identifying individuals at risk and offering targeted support.
- AI for Efficiency and Support: AI’s potential in primary care was explored in a number of different talks, from supporting patient engagement and automated triaging, to freeing up clinicians’ time from administrative burdens and providing decision support tools to aid in applying best practices.
- From Reactive Treatment to Prevention: This shift fundamentally redefines the role of primary care, moving it from simply treating illness to actively preventing it and promoting wellbeing.
- Proactive Population Health Management: Primary care will be at the forefront of identifying health risks, offering health checks, and delivering targeted preventative interventions for conditions like obesity, smoking, and alcohol-related issues.
- Addressing Health Inequalities: With a focus on prevention, primary care will be crucial in tailoring interventions to disproportionately target those in greatest need, thereby reducing widening health inequalities. This means working more closely with public health initiatives and community partners.
- Empowering Self-Care: Digital tools and enhanced advice from primary care teams will empower patients to better manage their own health and conditions, fostering a culture of self-care and prevention.
I don’t think anyone would disagree on most of these ideas and initiatives being good sense and having the potential to improve care for patients, but I think there are a number of challenges and questions to answer on how this is going to be implemented nationally, especially if the push is for local direction
In part two, I will outline what I think are the main challenges with the strategy for a ‘Neighbourhood Health Service’.
Tom Beadle, Chief Operating Officer for Pure Unity Health
Tom brings with him over 20 years of experience as a physiotherapist, with a particular focus on musculoskeletal pain and injury. Throughout his clinical career, Tom worked in various environments, including the NHS, professional sports, occupational health settings, and private practice, which helped shape his understanding of different healthcare contexts.
In 2015, Tom was involved in the development of one of the country’s early large-scale First Contact Practitioner (FCP) services in the UK, contributing to how primary care could better integrate physiotherapy. He later joined Pure Physiotherapy in 2020, where he took on responsibilities for the operational rollout of their national primary care services.
Having gained experience in both direct physiotherapy and broader national service leadership roles, Tom moved into his current position as COO for Pure Unity Health, a role he has held for the past two years. In this capacity, he contributes to the ongoing management and development of the group’s Strategy and operations.
