The National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) hosted its highly anticipated CPD accredited 3rd Annual Members’ Conference on October 19, 2023, at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre. The event, which attracted 130 attendees, provided a platform for the orthopaedic community to engage in insightful discussions, gain knowledge, and foster connections. Building on the success of the previous year, this conference continued its tradition of bringing together clinicians and healthcare professionals across the orthopaedic spectrum to discuss a wide range of topics, explore innovative strategies, and share best practices.
This year’s conference covered a diverse array of subjects and attendees had the opportunity to delve into issues, including the NHS England MSK Strategy, the future of the trauma and orthopaedic workforce, the delivery of MSK care, Model Hospital, equity, diversity, and inclusion in orthopaedics, insights into orthopaedic and MSK nursing, what’s on the horizon for orthopaedics in Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and much more.
The event also provided a unique opportunity for attendees to network, collaborate, and share their experiences. The sense of camaraderie and willingness to exchange knowledge was palpable, echoing the sentiment from previous years. Conference sponsor, Stryker not only exhibited but held breakfast and lunchtime workshops on Mako SmartRobotics.
Other exhibitors on the day included Edge Health, myrecovery.ai, NEC Software Solution, Johnson &Johnson, Zimmer and Versus Arthritis.
One of the highlights of this year’s conference was presentations from the NOA Excellence in Orthopaedics Awards finalists. The awards recognise the exceptional contributions of NOA member organisations, projects, and teams and many conference attendees attended the awards ceremony held the evening following the conference.
Conference attendee, Oliver Adebayo, fellow at GIRFT and past president of BOTA said “One of the things I like about the NOA conference is that it is a multidisciplinary conference – I get to liaise with nursing and physiotherapy colleagues, and it is one of few opportunities, as a surgeon, that I am able to do that on a national level.”
NOA Programme Director, Ann Hoey, expressed her delight at the growth of the conference, stating, “Now in its third year, it is gratifying to see the NOA Annual Member’s Conference continue to thrive. It remains a distinctive and intimate gathering with our members at its heart, all driven by the common goal of learning from each other to enhance the orthopaedic system and provide the best possible care to patients. The enthusiasm and interactions among attendees were inspiring, and I am excited to see how the ideas and connections made during the conference continue to flourish.”.