📍 Venue opens: 10:00am
🎤 Main event: 11:00am–4:00pm

Welcome

10:00am–11:00am
Registration & Welcome
Registration opens. Take some time to explore the venue, meet fellow attendees, join a session exploring the Art of Storytelling with Dr Brin Hodgskiss and visit the Hope Wall in the Audience Experience Space.

10:45am
Auditorium opens
Take your seats ahead of the main programme.

Morning Session

11:00am

Welcome & TEDxNHS 2026 Opening

11:15am

Special Performance: Abirami Eswar

Kathak Dance

Abirami Eswar brings the energy and storytelling of Kathak to the TEDxNHS stage.

TEDx Talks

A note of care: Talks may explore challenging or triggering themes. Please look after yourself and pause or step away if you need to. 

Discover more about our speakers

11:25am
Neil Shah: Tongue- why spotting the signs sooner could change the story for cancer patients. 

11:40am
Nadia Kadakova: Can better data make healthcare more personal, and more equal? 

11:55am
Lea Decker: What could healthcare learn if we made more room for play and creativity? 

12:10pm
Aaron Kinghorn : Why men need to be part of the conversation on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

12:25pm
Grace Davidson: When science meets hope: the extraordinary journey to womb transplantation. 

12:40pm

Morning Reflections & Close

Lunch Break

1:00pm–2:00pm

Take some time to relax, connect with fellow attendees, and explore our Audience Experience Spaces.

💡 Got an idea worth spreading? Come to the Georgian Room and pitch your TEDx talk idea in just 90 seconds. It could be you on the TEDxNHS stage next year.

🎤 Everyone has a story to tell. Join Dr Brin Hodgskiss for The Art of Storytelling from 1:30pm to 1:50pm and discover how to tell your story.

🎨 Prefer to express yourself visually?

• Leave a message of hope on our Hope Wall
• Browse Ed‘s live caricatures inspired by the morning talks
• Capture the moment in our TEDxNHS Photo Booth

Please note that food and drink are not permitted in the auditorium.

Afternoon Session

2:10pm

Welcome Back

TEDx Talks

2:15pm
Dr John Shenouda: Rethinking how we talk about assisted dying. 

2:30pm
Oliver Kaye: Breaking the silence around bowel health and invisible illness. 

2:45pm

Opus Music CIC Musical Performance

Opus Music will take to the TEDxNHS stage with their original pieces, using music to inspire reflection, connection and hope.

2:55pm
Magda Bannister: Challenging the stigma around Substance Use Disorder and empowering healthcare professionals to create meaningful change. 

3:10pm
Olivia Burns: From pioneering heart surgery to pioneering healthtech, turning lived experience into innovation that can transform patient care. 

3:25pm
Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne: Elevating patients’ experiences from personal stories to valuable clinical evidence. 

Closing Celebration

3:40pm

Closing Remarks & Celebration

Join us as we bring the day to a close with thank yous and a celebration with our speakers.

4:00pm

Event Ends

Goody bags for Gold ticket holders will be available

TEDxNHS 2026

Since 2016, TEDxNHS has sparked conversation and spread great ideas in health and care through the power of storytelling. This year marks a very special milestone, our 10th anniversary.

Our theme: HOPE

This year’s theme is HOPE, which feels especially fitting in these complex times.

As we mark our 10th anniversary, we’ll hear from speakers who notice problems, imagine better solutions, and choose to take action. Prepare to be inspired as they share bold ideas that are transforming healthcare for the better.

The Day

The TEDx talks

You’ll enjoy a full programme of impactful, thought-provoking talks from a dynamic lineup of speakers and performers, alongside exciting ideas to help transform the NHS. You’ll also have the chance to meet and connect with others from across the country who share a passion for health and care.

The Venue

We’re thrilled to be returning to the Royal Institution for the second time, following our event there in 2024. For over 200 years, the Royal Institution has brought together the public and scientists to explore ideas. It’s a venue with a long and celebrated tradition of inspiring curiosity, including the famous Christmas Lectures.

About TEDxNHS

TEDxNHS is a passion-driven initiative organised entirely by people working in health and care, who give their personal time and energy outside of their regular duties. Our incredible team of volunteers work tirelessly to bring this event to life, and we are deeply grateful to our sponsors and to everyone who buys a ticket.

Your support makes it possible for us to host these events and produce high-quality talks that reach a global audience. Every aspect of TEDxNHS, from planning to execution, is a labour of love, carried out by volunteers working in and alongside the NHS who believe in the power of ideas to transform healthcare.

Getting to The Royal Institution

Address:

The Royal Institution of Great Britain
21 Albemarle Street
London
W1S 4BS

By Tube

The Royal Institution is a five-minute walk from Green Park Station, which is served by the Jubilee, Victoria and Piccadilly lines.

Piccadilly Circus Station, served by the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines, and Oxford Circus Station, served by the Victoria, Central and Bakerloo lines, are also within a ten-minute walk.

By Bus

Bus numbers 9, 14, 19, 22 and 38 run along Piccadilly, close to the entrance to Albemarle Street.

By Bicycle

Bicycle parking is available around the corner from the Ri, on Bond Street.

Lunch: 1 – 2pm

There will be a lunch break between 1pm and 2pm.

You’re welcome to eat your lunch in the building, except in the theatre.

A number of nearby venues are also offering special discounts with your TEDxNHS wristband:

• Mardy’s – 15% off all menu items
• Noxy Brothers Burlington Arcade – 15% off all menu items
• Guillam Coffee House Mayfair – 10% off barista-made drinks
• Guillam Coffee House St James – 10% off all food and barista-made drinks. 

🧥 A cloakroom will be available for coats and jackets.

💧 Water fountains are available for refilling water bottles.

🎟️ Please bring your ticket and have a copy ready to show upon entrance.

📸 A quick note on photography: We’ll be capturing photos and videos throughout the day to share the TEDxNHS experience and promote future events. If you’d prefer not to be photographed or filmed, just let a member of the TEDxNHS team know when you arrive and we’ll be happy to help. 

Align Life is a digital health platform on a mission to “Help the World Heal Faster” by connecting users with qualified, verified holistic health professionals.

Imperial Health Charity helps hospitals do more through grants, arts and volunteering. They fund better hospital buildings and facilities, pioneering research and advanced medical equipment.

RADA Business helps people at work become brilliant communicators. They build on the work of one of the world’s most respected drama schools to deliver world class training programmes and coaching for organisations and individuals. RADA Business has kindly held bespoke sessions for all our TEDxNHS speakers every year since 2018.

Find out more about RADA Business

We are aware that some of our talks today reference highly sensitive and emotive topics.

If you are affected by the conversation, please reach out to one of the organisations or support mechanisms signposted below:

Samaritans

Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline) www.samaritans.org.uk

NHS Website

Has a comprehensive list of support services that deal with a number of the topics above and more. www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

MIND

Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems. Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm). www.mind.org.uk

Black, African and Asian Therapy Network

Home to the largest community of therapists of Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean heritage in the U.K. www.baatn.org.uk

Rethink Mental Illness

Support and advice for people living with mental illness. Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm) www.rethink.org

TONGUE:

If something unusual in your mouth or on your tongue does not go away, get it checked. Most symptoms will not be cancer, but persistent changes should be assessed by a dentist or doctor. The resources below offer trusted information about possible mouth cancer symptoms, early diagnosis, patient support and research.

Recognising the signs

NHS: Symptoms of mouth cancer

Oral Health Foundation: Mouth cancer symptoms

Mouth Cancer Action Month

Support after a diagnosis

Young Tongues

The Swallows Head & Neck Cancer Support Charity

Research, information and support

Saving Faces, The Facial Surgery Research Foundation

Saving Faces: Patients and Relatives

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Norwood Procedure: Details, Recovery & Outlook.