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MND Professionals' Community of Practice.
After the success of previous years, we are excited to announce that on Tuesday 6 October 2026 we will be back at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham for our fifth Annual Networking Event.
This event provides a unique opportunity for members of the MND Professionals’ Community of Practice to connect and collaborate with colleagues from across England, Northern Ireland and Wales to expand their knowledge on MND care.
Hear what past attendees said about the event.
This year's theme is "Holistic care – from beginning to end". Through presentations, group discussions and hands-on demonstrations, participants will actively explore how to help the people in their care.
The day will kick off with a thought-provoking keynote speech by Dr Idris Baker, titled "Beyond symptoms: the power of holistic care of MND". Dr Baker, who is the National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care in Swansea and the Co-Director of the MND South Wales Care Network, will explore the importance of integrating physical, cognitive, emotional and social support to preserve dignity and quality of life, and how person-centred practices can support individuals and their families.
You will then have the opportunity to choose four sessions to attend. These will be led by subject experts and designed to build your competencies in key areas of MND, including:
- supporting carers post diagnosis
- purposeful conversations
- complex decisions in nutrition management
- environmental controls and wheelchair adaptations
- recognising and safeguarding vulnerable patients
- withdrawal of treatments
- assisted dying
- facing bereavement as a health and social care professional.
Throughout the day, you will have built-in time to network with a wide range of professionals, attend demonstrations, and meet with exhibitors, ensuring you'll leave with valuable skills and knowledge to apply to your practice. Read the full event programme and follow us on X or Bluesky to stay up to date with further announcements in the coming months.
Share your work – Poster call!
Last year, we launched a CoP members poster session, which was very well received and gave attendees an opportunity to see what is happening across the regions. We would love to build on this success. If you have a case study, a poster or a new service, we would be delighted to hear about it. Please email CoP@mndassociation.org.
Book your place at the link below and enter EARLYBIRD on the booking form to access our discounted rate of £35 – valid until 31 August. We look forward to seeing you!
Previous events
2025 - Supporting choice and control for people living with and affected by MND
“It’s such an informative day and vital to improve clinical practice to inform MND Care. Never underestimate the power of networking.” - attendee
Over 200 health and social care professionals from across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland gathered on 7 October 2025 in Birmingham to connect, collaborate, and expand their knowledge of MND care.
This year’s theme was “Supporting choice and control for people living with and affected by MND”. After an initial speech by Dr Brian Dickie, MBE Chief Scientist at the MND Association, and a self-care session led by clinical psychologist, Dr Rachel Woolrich, guests had a vast range of opportunities to network, meet exhibitors and learn from one another. Through presentations, group discussions and hands-on demonstrations, participants actively explored how to help the people in their care make informed decisions and understand their rights. Some of the topics explored where genetic testing, supporting decisions when mental capacity is impaired, handling crises and eating with acknowledged risks. Find out more below.
2024 - What matters most? Optimising quality of life for people living with MND, individual priorities and effective, person-centred care
“Every session gave me an opportunity to reflect on the implications living with MND had on everyday quality of life and not just focusing on symptoms” - attendee
Over 160 health and social care professionals joined our event to explore how to navigate risks and decisions to maximise quality of life for people with MND. Professor Eneida Mioshi delivered a keynote speech titled “Behavioural symptoms triangulated: perspectives from the family, the view of healthcare professionals, and the evidence from the research literature.”. Dr Caroline Barry followed up with a brief session on understanding mental capacity in the context of MND.
During the day, participants attended several sessions to discuss with their peers about MND care, including nutrition, orthotics and maintaining relationships with loved ones. They also participated to hands-on demonstrations of equipment and met with various exhibitors, such as REMAP, whose mission is to design equipment to support people to live independently.
2023 - Supporting people living with MND through advance care planning: a role for the whole MDT
“Mind blown but excited to see my patients now with up-to-date info!” - attendee
Attended by over 125 health and social care professionals, the event followed Adam, a person living with MND and his family’s journey. In groups led by the CoP expert core, attendees considered how to approach advance care planning and how to support decision making.
The keynote speech was delivered by Dr Trish Sealy, expert in consultant palliative medicine at the South Tees Hospital. Throughout the day, the participants joined various practical demonstrations, including of respiratory equipment, PEG and RIG insertion and exercises for people with MND. There were also a number of exhibitors, including Accora, Countour886, Precise Health Ltd and Tobii Dynavox.
Read the event’s programme
2022 - Communicating for great care, patient quality and learning
“Good MND care is based on input from multiple healthcare disciplines. This event was a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues and meet new people working in MND” - attendee
2022 saw the launch of our first face to face networking event. Attended by over 100 members of the Community of Practice, the day included speeches from Professor Steven Bloch, Professor of Communication and Social Interaction at UCL, and Kate Jackson, Independent Occupational Therapist.
The event also included exhibitors and six workshops delivered by subject experts, covering topics such as dysphagia, end of life, posture management and selfcare for health and social care professionals.