Welcome @laylamccay.bsky.social, our new Chief Exec joining later this year. We’re thrilled to have her as we prepare to say 👋 to Nicola Close MBE as she steps down after nearly 20 years as CEO. 🙏 Thank you, Nicola, for your outstanding leadership, & best wishes for a very well-deserved retirement!

This week’s remaining book tour events for The Queer Bookshelf: Friday, 7pm, Leeds at The Bookish Type Saturday, 2:30pm, London at Queer Britain museum See you there? Tix on their websites.

New Alumni Blog✨ @laylamccay.bsky.social (MSc HPPF, 2011) shares how her time at @lshtm.bsky.social shaped her career in health policy and as an author exploring LGBTQ+ culture, history, and community. Her latest book, The Queer Bookshelf, is out now! Read the blog: www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/alum...

Lots of you have been asking about my new non-fiction book The Queer Bookshelf about the history (and present and future) of LGBTQ+ literature. Today is book launch day in the UK. Anything you can do to help talk about it and make it a moment would make me joyful. And of course, buy the book!

Interested in what it’s like having LGBTQ+ books adapted for the screen? I hosted a panel with Sarah Waters, Nathaniel Price and a book-to-film agent. Here’s what we learned. open.substack.com/pub/laylamcc... #booksky

UK readers, if you’re planning to pre-order my new book The Queer Bookshelf about the history (and present and future) of LGBTQ+ literature, this is a pretty excellent deal. www.waterstones.com/book/the-que...

Layla’s 2025 Review of Books is here! open.substack.com/pub/laylamcc...

My Queer Book Advent Calendar starts today over on Instagram at laylamccay. Enjoy. #BookThreads

For those who follow me for queer bookish/author chat, I have started a free substack newsletter and I’d love it if you’d take a look/subscribe. open.substack.com/pub/laylamcc...

Imagine someone gave you a lovely book about novels. You turn to the index. Would you rather it was one big index with book titles, authors, and assorted other things in the book. Or would you rather one index for book titles and a separate one for author names and that’s it? Views please!

Wonderful hearing @laylamccay.bsky.social speaking today about the evidence on #LGBTQ+ staff & patient experience - providing data for change - and speaking about great work of @nhsconfed.org on providing platforms for tackling inequality

Just a reminder to the many of you following me here for LGBTQ+ bookish content… there’s some, there may be more, but right now this account is mostly focused on health policy. Queer bookish chat is my main focus on my author Instagram - see you there? www.instagram.com/laylamccay/?...

Our director of policy, Dr @laylamccay.bsky.social spoke on 5 Live Breakfast this morning about the ongoing resident doctors' strikes. She said healthcare leaders across the country are hoping the BMA can find a way to get back round the table with the government and find a solution.

Our director of policy, Dr @laylamccay.bsky.social, told BBC Breakfast that patient safety is the absolute priority for healthcare leaders throughout the resident doctors' strikes.

Our director of policy, Dr @laylamccay.bsky.social, spoke to @listentotimesradio.bsky.social about the resident doctors' strike. She says the NHS Confederation is keen for the British Medical Association to get together with the government and figure out a way forward.

Whether you're after analysis on the Ten-Year Health Plan or an at-a-glance guide to the headline points, our member briefing and explainer video have you covered👇 youtu.be/sWicWT66mpc

Hot off the Press: The NHS Confederation must-read 10 Year Health Plan briefing is out now! Huge thanks to our subject and sector specialists coming together with such dedication to bring you this analysis. I hope it's helpful. Do share. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

Absolute silence from the policy team in the @nhsconfed.org except for the tapping of keyboards as our experts assess the 10 year health plan that’s just been published. We’ll have your briefing with you asap!

As we await the publication of the 1️⃣ 0️⃣ year plan for health later this morning, our director of policy @laylamccay.bsky.social spoke to @lbc.co.uk on the need for it to deliver more empowerment for patients 💪, more care closer to home 🏘️ and a more preventative approach.💉

Policy wonks and NHS aficionados ahoy! We’re one day out from the 10 year health plan. And here’s what we want to see. www.nhsconfed.org/articles/key...

I’m about to go on a Hay-on-Wye bookshop minibreak. Those more expert than me: is there an easy way to find out if any of the many bookshops are doing events?

What did the spending review mean for the NHS? We have a briefing for that. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

Greetings from @nhsconfed.org ConfedExpo! It’s going to be excellent. I may post some things here over this two day UK healthcare and health policy extravaganza.

Hope you've booked your NHS Confed Expo pass... (even if I don't have a promising future as a videographer). view.shoutout.social/confedexpo/n...

Ahead of the 10 year health plan, here's our thoughts @nhsconfed.org about what a new operating model could look like. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

Continuing my Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling 1st birthday celebrations by sharing my book talk at the RSA. Enjoy. www.youtube.com/live/TPiX7JR...

With Brexit in people’s minds today, here’s some thoughts on what an EU-UK Health Protection Agreement could look like. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

This week marks the 1st birthday of my book Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling: How LGBTQ+ people can thrive and succeed at work. Help me celebrate? Would be great to have a few more reviews, or to hear your reflections on the concept.

For International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia aka #IDAHOBIT I wrote about LGBTQ+ staff experience in the NHS. www.nhsemployers.org/articles/why...

Does anyone have tickets for the international @thebookerprizes.bsky.social event on Sunday going spare? Sold out and I have regrets!

I just realised I’m nominated for this and it’s a votes kind of thing… could you possibly take a moment to pop over and vote for me? I failed to tell anyone about it and it closes in two days, so I probably have zero votes right now… www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk/awards-2025/...

As development of the 10 year health plan reaches its final stages, I'm delighted to share this NHS Confederation think piece about what we assess is needed - and whether it can deliver. www.nhsconfed.org/long-reads/c...

Our director of policy, Dr @laylamccay.bsky.social comments on research from the Health Foundation which found that £21 billion is needed to digitise the #NHS. "We have been urging the government to use the upcoming Spending Review to continue to invest more capital in digital transformation.”

Lots of discussion about neighbourhood health. Here’s @nhsconfed.org thoughts about how it could work. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

With just over two months to go till #NHSConfedExpo, we're pleased to announce the agenda is live! Packed with the latest case studies and inspiring examples of best practice, this year’s programme will equip you with actionable insights to help drive improvements. Take a look: buff.ly/wBbms0n

Folks, I just won my first book prize for Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling - best career book. Hooray! #AxiomAwards

Want to know what today's Spring Statement means for the NHS? We @nhsconfed.org have a briefing for that. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

Our latest member briefing unpacks everything healthcare leaders need to know about plans to abolish #NHS England 👇 www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

Given all the recent leadership changes at NHS England, this is a good moment to listen to our NHS Confederation podcast discussing some of the implications and what we might expect.

Look: my first ever translation! Restorative Cities: urban design for mental health and wellbeing by Layla McCay and Jenny Roe is now available in… Thai! #bookthreads

Now, this is a really important session. Continuing Healthcare is relatively unknown, complex, and yet has a massive impact on individuals. Juliet Bouverie, Chair of the Richmond Group warns us that we're going to get cross. #NTSummit

People at the current #NTSummit session on the GP partnership model might be interested in this @nhsconfed.org report on the future of primary care out last week. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

Just asking once more: is anyone at #NTSummit going to Gatwick Airport after this and want to share transport?

Happy #WorldBookDay - to celebrate, I’m sharing my 2024 Review of Books. In all the fiction I read last year, I hope there’s something that interests you. readingshoesblog.wordpress.com/2024/12/28/l...

Hey, #NTSummit participants, is anyone going to Gatwick Airport after the conference tomorrow? I’d love to share a taxi…

Within equality there are three elements, reflects philosopher Polly Mitchell at #NTSummit 1. Equality of opportunities, 2. Equality of outcomes and 3. Equality of relationships (we often fail to invest in that third one). Interesting to reflect on these three categories in different contexts.

A significant theme emerging from discussions at #NTSummit: it’s all very well to collect data, but who’s looking at it and what are they doing with it? If we don’t meaningfully use the data we collect to take practical action that drives improvement, what’s the point?

Thoughtful session now #NTSummit on race equity in health and care. @stephaniehatch.bsky.social says despite the WRES, there has not been an improvement in racism and discrimination over time. All staff are impacted by structural and cultural contexts generating and perpetuating racial inequities.

Next up at #NTSummit we have @sallywarren.bsky.social on the 10 year plan. She says the consultation has been hopeful and enthusiastic. Public want more joined-up, easy to navigate services. Staff want resources and IT to deliver high quality care.

Now at #NTSummit we have @charliepickles.bsky.social and @theastein.bsky.social in conversation about current NHS situation. Charlotte proposes NHS prioritises form over function in reform. Thea says the short term actions need to align with long term ambition but practically that’s hard to do.