How to care for the NHS: Facilitating healthcare conferences
York Biotech Campus (YBC) is not only home to brilliant bioscience organisations but also to our Lakeside Conference Centre (LCC).
Several of our occupiers onsite, including Abingdon Health and the UK Health Security Agency, work in the field of science related to preventing the spread of diseases. So, when the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust came to LCC looking for somewhere to host its Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) conference, we knew we were the ideal venue to foster a productive environment.
The one-day IPC conference took place at the end of last year and was to provide a training refresher to 160 Trust employees from across the region. We spoke with Sue Peckitt, Deputy Director for IPC at the Trust, who told us all about the IPC conference.
What was the event all about?
“Our conference was to provide a refresher on IPC measures to our staff at the Trust. Four years on from the beginning of the global Covid-19 pandemic, understanding infection prevention and control remains high on the global agenda. The IPC conference is a fundamental element of ensuring and maintaining safe patient care in the region.
“For this event, the theme was ‘Back to Basics’ with the agenda designed to reset the focus of our colleagues on the foundations of IPC within patient care. In total, 160 delegates from the Trust were in attendance. It was a real mixture of staff who attended with professions ranging from registered Nurses, Health Care Support Workers, Allied Health Professionals to colleagues working within Health and Safety as well as Estates and Facilities.”
Can you talk us through how the day panned out?
“Our guests were greeted in the entrance area for arrival and registration and once they were signed in, they were served tasty breakfast rolls filled with bacon, sausage and egg, hot drinks, and fresh fruit. We then used the first-floor mezzanine space to exhibit trade stands which provided our delegates with information on the latest IPC products.
“We held lectures in the auditorium, with the campus team providing hot drinks and biscuits to keep us all going! Around midday we paused for a hot buffet lunch, with a variety of options for different dietary requirements. LCC is nestled in gorgeous greenery with a picturesque lake right outside, so we really enjoyed being able to go for a walk and take in the scenery during our breaks. After lunch we returned to the auditorium feeling revitalised for more lectures, making the most of the breakout rooms with smaller groups separating off for workshops and activities.”
Why did you choose the LCC?
“The location was what first attracted us to LCC, as the Trust is spread across York, North and East Yorkshire and Ryedale, an area which covers 3,400 square miles. So, it was of the utmost importance that our conference was accessible to our colleagues from across all of our localities.
“We’d also read about some of the other events which have taken place at LCC, like the International Commission for Plant-Pollinator Relationships Bee Protection Group’s symposium. We were really impressed with the positive feedback, so we booked ourselves in!”
How was the overall experience at LCC?
“We were incredibly pleased with the facilities, amenities, and the support of the campus team at LCC. The team were super helpful from before the conference even began to the very end, and the regular contact in the lead up made the whole organisation process really smooth. We were also able to visit the site a number of times to orientate our team and decide which rooms we would require on the day, which was a huge help.
“We received excellent feedback from our delegates and the exhibitors who highly regarded the event and the venue itself. We’ve already recommended LCC to colleagues at the Trust and we’re looking to host events again onsite in the future.”
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