CFP: The NHS as ‘Civil Association'

The 6th event organised by Think About Health, to be held 13th-14th April 2012 at the British School of Osteopathy in Borough High Street, London. Building on themes developed during previous meetings, our Spring 2012 Conference will focus on the NHS as a “Civil Association”. 
 
To see the NHS as a civil association, and thus as a fundamentally moral institution, is to inquire into the place that it plays in the sense of communal solidarity and identity of British communities. This in turn is to address questions as to the place that the NHS has in British society. 
 
Is the NHS to be understood merely as an efficient resource for the economy? Or is it grounded in something broader and more compassionate? What should its priorities be? What is the nature of the relationships that do and should exist between staff, patients and other members of the community? 
 
Through a series of talks and small group work, we will seek to explore our understanding of the NHS and how that understanding shapes our day to day practice as medical professionals, as patients and potential patients, and as concerned members of the public.  

Call for Papers/Panel Discussions

Proposals for papers or panel discussions are invited. 
 
The former will consist of a 20 minute oral presentation, followed by 10 minutes discussion, and are invited on any aspect of the conference theme, from perspectives of professional experience, patient experience or academic reflection.  
 
The latter will last for one hour, and will involve up to three speakers (who may or may not include the chair), and consist of short presentations by the panel members, followed by audience discussion. Panels would ideally encourage debate and reflection on the theme of the conference from the perspective of a particular group of participants in or users of the NHS, such as a specific medical profession, or managerial or patient grouping. 
 
Abstracts outlining papers or the themes of panels, of no more than 300 words, should be submitted to Simon Waltho at [email protected] by 1st March 2012.   
 
Proposals will be reviewed, and decisions circulated, by 12th March 2012.

For further details, please see the network’s website: