Our seventh annual conference took place at the John MacIntyre Centre in Edinburgh on 28^th and 29^th September 2017. This year we attracted an international audience which included delegates from as far afield as Taiwan, Lisbon and Canada. Delegates gathered to hear from a range of experts in the fields of Neurology, Ethics, Learning Disability and Frailty. They also had an opportunity to take part in workshops and participate in discussions relating to the themes of the conference, including person centred planning, ventilation and ethics. Delegates were also able to browse the sponsors’ exhibition and book stall and view a range of posters which were submitted by palliative care clinicians and researchers to showcase their work. There was plenty of time for people to network with colleagues and make new connections during coffee and lunch breaks.

Our annual conference began because our consultants were frustrated by the lack of good quality conferences in or accessible to Scotland. They decided that it would be good to host a conference of our own. Now in its seventh year, we find the conference provides an excellent opportunity for our own staff to undertake quality learning, hearing from internationally renowned speakers. It also provides them with an opportunity to meet others working in similar situations from across the country. Over the years, the conference has focused on a range of different themes and its reputation has been building, which is why we have now moved the conference to Edinburgh where we can cater for a bigger audience and have scope to run breakout sessions and workshops. This worked well for us this year and we’re already planning next year’s conference, ‘Challenge or Conform?’. Once again, it will take place at the John MacIntyre Centre in Edinburgh 27^th & 28^th September 2018. More details will follow.