University of Leicester and UCL will host a Labour Party Conference panel next week on how the NHS can build and retain a workforce fit for the future, drawing on emerging findings from the NIHR-funded I-CARE study into why ethnic minority and migrant healthcare staff stay or leave.
The session, organised by Leicester’s Institute for Policy with University College London, brings researchers, NHS employers and policymakers together as the health service continues to face recruitment and retention pressures. It will examine the evidence behind effective workforce policy and what Government can do to support a sustainable, diverse workforce.
I-CARE — InCreAsing Retention of healthcare staff from Ethnic minority groups — is investigating why NHS staff from ethnic minority and migrant backgrounds choose to remain in, or leave, healthcare roles. Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the study aims to inform future workforce policy and improve retention across the NHS.
Tuesday’s discussion builds on a December 2025 Parliamentary roundtable co-organised by the two universities, where initial I-CARE findings were presented to policymakers and stakeholders.
Pareek: ‘The NHS is its staff’
Professor Manish Pareek, Clinical Professor in Infectious Diseases at the University of Leicester and Co-Principal Investigator of I-CARE, said recruiting and retaining talent from diverse backgrounds is central to a service fit for the future.
“The NHS is its staff. To build a health service that is fit for the future, it is critically important that we recruit and retain talented staff from diverse backgrounds, while giving them the opportunities to develop, progress and thrive.
“By investing in the workforce, we can ensure staff have the skills, support and opportunities they need to continue delivering outstanding care to patients.”
Woolf: ‘Urgent reforms are needed’
Professor Katherine Woolf, Professor of Medical Education Research at UCL and Co-Principal Investigator of I-CARE, said the NHS’s diverse workforce is a strength — but retention and training need urgent reform.
“I’m proud that the NHS has one of the world’s largest and most diverse workforces, providing care for all. But urgent reforms are needed to ensure the NHS can continue to recruit, train and retain staff, now and in the future.
“I look forward to discussing evidence-informed ideas and solutions for change.”
The panel will be chaired by Alice Semark, senior researcher at Re:State, and will also include Ben Morrin, Chief Executive of NHS Employers, and Professor Thomas Solomon CBE, academic vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians. An audience Q&A will follow.
How can the NHS ensure a workforce fit for the future? takes place on Tuesday 29 September 2026, 9am to 9.50am, in the Albert Johstone Room, Novotel Liverpool Centre, Liverpool L1 4LN.
