Preview
Driving collaboration across surgical services
The National Performance Advisory Group (NPAG) will once again bring together senior NHS leaders, theatre managers, sterile services professionals and industry specialists for its annual Theatres & Decontamination Conference, taking place on 19 May 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Stansted Airport.
The annual Theatres & Decontamination Conference is recognised for its strong professional credibility, sectorwide collaboration and CPD-certified learning, and has become an essential date in the national perioperative and decontamination calendar. Through this event, NPAG brings theatres and decontamination into one shared forum – promoting collaboration, knowledge exchange and discussion of key challenges. As surgical care becomes increasingly complex, with robotics, 3D printing, advanced instruments and digital pathways expanding rapidly, the interface between theatres and decontamination has never been more critical. NPAG’s conference directly reflects this reality.
About NPAG: a national network supporting NHS improvement NPAG is a long-established national organisation supporting improvement and operational excellence across the NHS. Through its extensive portfolio of Best Value Groups (BVGs) — including Operating Theatres, Decontamination, National District Nurses, Estates, Waste Management, Energy, Clinical Engineering, Temporary Workforce and Violence Reduction — NPAG enables professionals to benchmark, collaborate and share solutions across organisations and systems. This collaborative structure ensures NPAG’s annual conferences are not simply events: they are the output of active national networks, with agendas shaped by members’ real operational needs and priorities. This is particularly true of the Theatres & Decontamination Conference, where representatives from both BVGs work with NPAG facilitators to co-design the programme.
Conference chairs This year’s conference is chaired by Trevor Garcia and Dale Atkins, who have overseen the agenda development in partnership with NPAG’s Operating Theatres and Decontamination
BVGs. Their leadership has ensured a balanced, relevant and forward-looking programme. They will guide the day’s discussion, drawing out practical learning and highlighting the importance of shared responsibility across surgical pathways.
A timely focus for a changing system Theatres and decontamination services are fundamental to elective recovery, surgical efficiency and patient safety. Both are under sustained pressure: workforce gaps, rising procedural complexity, tightening regulatory requirements and the introduction of new technologies all require coordinated thinking and integrated service design. This year’s themes reflect current pressures and opportunities facing services today, providing vital grounding for delegates and ensuring relevance across clinical, technical and managerial roles. Key cross-cutting themes include: l The critical value of collaboration between theatres and decontamination.
l The influence of Community Diagnostic Centres on surgical flow.
l The safe expansion of robotics and new instrument types.
l Ensuring assurance and compliance amid evolving standards.
l Strengthening cost efficiency and sustainability through Design for Life.
l Standardisation and governance under NHS Supply Chain leadership.
These challenges cannot be solved in isolation, and that is precisely why NPAG’s combined approach is so significant.
Programme highlights The 2026 programme offers a blend of strategic insight, operational learning and multidisciplinary discussion.
Chairmen’s opening Trevor Garcia and Dale Atkins will welcome delegates and frame the day’s themes, emphasising whole-system thinking, shared responsibility and the importance of theatres and decontamination working as one.
Keynote: the importance of a collaborative day Delivered by Professor Tim Briggs, this keynote
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