The theme for the BMA’s 2026 public health medicine conference is “Rebuilding Public Health” with a particular focus on the future.
The conference will be a hybrid event to maximise the opportunities to participate. Attendance may be in-person at BMA House, or virtually by Microsoft Teams. The agenda committee would encourage voting representatives to attend in person if they are able, as this will provide a more engaging experience and more networking opportunities. We know this may be harder for some, and you will find more details below on what the BMA can do to help you to attend.
Why you should attend
The conference is the BMA’s forum for public health doctors from across the UK. It provides opportunities for you to hear from leaders of the public health community; debate and discuss the issues of concern to you; and network and share experiences. Through the debates and votes on motions sent in by representatives, conference sets the policy and negotiating priorities for the BMA public health medicine committee for the coming year. It also receives a report on the work undertaken on the previous year’s conference motions.
The aim is to enable high levels of participation throughout the day.
What the conference includes
- Keynote speeches on the theme of the conference.
- Formal welcome and introduction from a chief officer of the BMA.
- Reports from the chair of the public health medicine committee and the chair of the registrars’ subcommittee on their work during the last year with the opportunity to hold them to account on that work.
- Report of the work of the Faculty of Public Health.
- Debate of motions sent in by you, giving you the chance to decide which issues are important and to influence the work of the BMA in the coming year.
- Workshop sessions covering activism and advocacy in public health, global public health, tackling inequalities in public health systems and workforce challenges and solutions.
- An open debate and panel discussion on rebuilding public health.
- Opportunities to raise and discuss general issues of importance with colleagues in public health and from other branches of medicine.
- Networking opportunities through-out the day for those attending in person, including a networking reception at the end of the day.
Motions for debate
Motion submission is now open for the conference, until 2 February 2026. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard, as motions that are passed will shape the BMA’s agenda and could influence the future of public health over the coming years. The agenda committee would particularly welcome motions inspired by the theme of the conference. Emergency motions on issues that arise after the deadline can be submitted up to noon on Monday 16 March 2025. Motions should be submitted by e-mail to [email protected]
Unsure where to start? We encourage you to read or watch our guidance on motion writing. In this guidance webpage you will also find a link to the BMA’s policy database, where you can search for existing conference policy by subject. The agenda committee is also hosting a drop-in workshop on how to draft and craft motions on 27 January. If you are interested in attending or for further advice on motions, please email the conference secretariat at [email protected]
Attending the conference
Registration for the conference is now open on a first come first served basis until the relevant places are filled.
Attendance is free for BMA members.
Non-members can pay £20 (including VAT) to attend online or in-person. This price includes refreshments and a delegate pack for in-person attendees.
BMA members not working in public health may attend as observers, but please note that observers will not be entitled to expenses.
To register for this event, you will need to sign in using your BMA account details on the registration page. If you are not a BMA member but would like to attend the conference, please email [email protected] to register.
If for any reason after registering you should find yourself no longer able to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so your place can be allocated to someone else.
Helping you to attend
Time off for trade union activities
If you have any difficulty getting time off to attend the conference you may find the BMA’s guidance on the issue to be of help: Trade union leave - time off for trade union duties and activities.
Caring responsibilities
If you need to make special arrangements to care for children or adult dependents in order to attend, the BMA is able to meet the cost of that additional care.
Please contact Winifred Annan on [email protected] if you require further information on the childcare and adult dependent arrangements available at this event.
Travel costs
Reasonable standard class travel expenses will be reimbursed for representatives on production of receipts. You are asked to make every effort to book advance tickets and to make use of the cheap deals that are available. If in doubt, please contact [email protected] prior to making your travel arrangements.
Accommodation costs
The cost of overnight stays will normally only be met if it is necessary for the representatives to leave home before 6.30am. Nonetheless you must gain advance approval for a claim of accommodation costs. If you require the BMA to cover the cost of your overnight accommodation or have queries about it, you must email your request in advance to [email protected]
Accommodation expenses will be reimbursed up to a maximum of £230 per night. Delegates will be expected to cover any difference themselves.