About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

This event took place on Monday 29 September. You can watch the recording below.

The opinions expressed in this event recording are those of the speaker. For more information, view our full statement on external contributors.

With the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan and work underway on the National Food Strategy, this moment offers a unique opportunity to embed prevention at the heart of national health policy. It’s a critical juncture for reducing obesity, tackling health inequalities and creating an NHS fit for the future.

Our healthy life mission at this year’s Labour Party Conference discussed the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan for the NHS.

Our expert panel of speakers was chaired by Rachel Sylvester, Political Editor at The Observer, and included Ravi Gurumurthy, Chief Executive Officer at Nesta, Jim Dickson, MP for Dartford, Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive Officer at The King's Fund and Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE, Chief Executive Officer at the Health Foundation. The panel explored both the ambition and the practical delivery of the 10-Year Plan, recognising that its success hinges not only on what is promised, but on how it is implemented. We examined how collaboration between government, the NHS, civil society and the private sector can help turn vision into reality.

This event was for policymakers and those working towards a preventative health system. The panel discussed whether the plan will shift our approach towards a preventative health system, how we can ensure that the UK Government’s Healthy Food Standards are implemented and the role of industry and civil society in plan implementation.

Speakers

Rachel Sylvester

Rachel Sylvester

She/Her

Rachel Sylvester is political editor of The Observer. She was previously a columnist at The Times and chair of The Times Crime and Justice Commission, Times Health Commission and Times Education Commission.

Ravi

Ravi Gurumurthy

He/Him

Ravi Gurumurthy is Group Chief Executive Officer, joining Nesta as Chief Executive in December 2019. Ravi was previously responsible for the International Rescue Committee’s work in designing, testing and scaling products and services for people affected by crisis in over 40 countries - from reducing acute malnutrition and intimate partner violence, to expanding employment for Syrian refugees. Prior to joining the International Rescue Committee in 2013, Ravi held a number of roles in the UK Government, including Director of Strategy at the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and as a strategic advisor to the Foreign Secretary. Across many departments, Ravi led a number of major social and environmental reforms including the development of the world’s first legally-binding carbon emissions targets and the integration of children’s services. Ravi has also worked as a researcher at the think-tank Demos and in local government in London.

Sarah Woolnough_kingsfundportraits-jan24_219_JPG

Sarah Woolnough

She/Her

Sarah is the Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, an independent charity working to improve people’s health. Previously, she was the Chief Executive of Asthma + Lung UK, the national respiratory charity. Sarah also spent more than 15 years at Cancer Research UK in a range of senior policy and executive board roles. She has been a non-executive and trustee of Bliss, Action on Smoking and Health, the Association of Medical Research Charities, and the National Cancer Research Institute. In 2011, Sarah was seconded to the Department of Health to write the National Cancer Strategy alongside Professor Sir Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director. She has chaired the Healthy Air Coalition, is a previous co-chair of the National Respiratory Delivery Board, and a member of the ABPI Patient Advisory Council, the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative, and the Richmond Group of Charities. Sarah has also worked in parliament, for the civil service, and for membership organisation the Sport and Recreation Alliance. Currently, Sarah is a trustee of MQ: Mental Health Research.

Jennifer Dixon

Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE

She/Her

Jennifer was Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust from 2008 to 2013. Prior to this, she was Director of Policy at The King’s Fund and was the policy advisor to the Chief Executive of the National Health Service between 1998 and 2000. Jennifer has undertaken research and published widely on health care reform both in the UK and internationally. Originally trained in medicine, Jennifer practised mainly paediatric medicine, prior to a career in policy analysis. She has a Master’s in public health and a PhD in health services research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In 1990–91, Jennifer was a Harkness Fellow in New York. Jennifer has served as a Board member of the Health Care Commission 2004–2009; the Audit Commission 2003–2012; the Care Quality Commission 2013–2016 and the UK Health Security Agency 2022–2024. She has led two national inquiries for government: on the setting up of published ratings of quality of NHS and social care providers in England (2013); and on the setting up of ratings for general practices (2015). She was also a member of the Parliamentary Review Panel for the Welsh Assembly Government advising on the future strategy for the NHS and social care in Wales (2017–2018). Jennifer was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2009 and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2019, and she was awarded a doctorate of science from Bristol University in 2016. She is a visiting professor at the London School of Economics, and has held similar positions at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Imperial College Business School. In January 2024 Jennifer was awarded a damehood in the New Years Honours.

Jim dickson

Jim Dickson

He/Him

Jim Dickson is the Labour Member of Parliament for Dartford. He was elected for the first time in July 2024. Jim was previously a councillor in Lambeth serving both as leader and cabinet member for Health. Jim is a long-term advocate for better public health and for central and local government action to prevent ill health for all our population.