On Saturday the 11th of June 2022 Bristol hosted Big Tent Ideas Festival attended by around 850 people. It brought together politicians, including sitting members of parliament, medical practitioners, journalists, artists, scientists, health campaigners and the general public to talk and debate about pressing issues facing society. Anya was invited to be a part of an expert panel (chaired by Lord Andrew Lansley) who discussed the challenges that the NHS and public health sector faces post COVID, and what lessons were learned from the pandemic that can be taken forward to improve health services of the future.
This insightful session covered many issues that became apparent during the pandemic such as under-staffing of the NHS and lack of continuity of care. The panellists and the audience also discussed positive shifts that were achieved during pandemic, which included the widespread use of medical and other forms of data for cutting-edge health research. The room (or, rather, the tent!) agreed that future of health research is in improving the use of all sorts of novel data sources to understand people’s lifestyle choices, and making those work for nation’s health and wellbeing!
By Anya Skatova