HEIW Conference to Explore the Future of Workforce Planning in a Digital Age

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) will host its annual workforce planning conference, Workforce Planning Reimagined: Developing the Skills for a Digitally-Driven Future, on 24 February 2026 at Cardiff City Stadium.

Organised by HEIW’s Strategic Workforce Planning Team, the full-day event (09:00–16:00) will bring together health and care professionals, planners and leaders to examine how digital transformation is reshaping workforce planning across health and care systems.

As demand and complexity continue to grow, the conference will focus on how digitalisation, including data analytics, artificial intelligence, automation and cloud technologies are changing the way organisations forecast, model and manage workforce needs. Delegates will explore the skills and capabilities required to thrive in this evolving environment and gain practical tools to help design resilient, future-ready workforces.

Aligned with HEIW’s strategic priorities for digitally ready and future-focused planning, the event aims to empower attendees with the confidence and insight needed to adapt workforce planning approaches to meet rapid system change.

The conference will feature a line-up of nationally recognised speakers from across health, technology and workforce development, including:

• Adrian Joseph, Non-Executive Director at Great Ormond Street Hospital and one of the UK’s leading applied data and AI technologists. Formerly Chief Data and AI Officer at BT, Adrian led a 1,600-strong team advancing large-scale digital and AI initiatives and served as an Expert Member of the UK AI Council from 2020–2023.
• Andrew Grill, bestselling author, global AI speaker and former IBM technologist. With more than 30 years’ experience in advanced technology, Andrew advises senior leaders on navigating artificial intelligence and emerging digital trends. He is the author of Digitally Curious (2024) and host of the Digitally Curious Podcast.
• Pritesh Mistry, Fellow, Digital Policy at The King’s Fund. Pritesh focuses on how evidence-based digital tools can improve health and care outcomes, with a strong emphasis on culture, infrastructure, change management and reducing inequalities. Pritesh previously led innovation at the Royal College of General Practitioners and worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
• Adam Stanbury, Head of Employer Solutions at the CIPD. Adam brings extensive HR and learning and development expertise and advises organisations across sectors on professionalisation and workforce success. He also sits on HR profession boards for both the UK Government and the NHS.

Registration for the conference is now open. Those wishing to attend can sign up via this MS Form