Supporting change across healthcare, emergency services and complex public service environments

Thursday 24 September 2026
1.00pm to 5.00pm
St James’s University Hospital, Leeds

Following the success of the first Blue Light PMO Summit in London, the House of PMO is bringing the conversation to Leeds.

This practical afternoon event will bring together PMO professionals working across healthcare, emergency services and the wider public sector to share experiences, explore common challenges and discuss how PMOs can better support change in complex environments.

The agenda

1.00pm – 1.20pm – Arrival, refreshments and networking

An opportunity for attendees to meet PMO colleagues working across healthcare and the wider Leeds public service community.

1.20pm – 1.30pm – Welcome and setting the scene

A short introduction to the afternoon and some of the themes emerging from the Blue Light Report (copies of the report will be available):

• The position and influence of the PMO
• Executive sponsorship and ownership
• Too many priorities and limited capacity
• Building PMO capability
• Supporting change while continuing to deliver essential services

1.30pm – 1.55pm – Inside the PMO at St James’s University Hospital 

Introducing the PMO at St James’s, including:

• The role and remit of the PMO
• The environment the team is working within
• Current priorities and pressures
• What is working well
• The challenges the PMO is continuing to address

 

1.55pm – 2.35pm – Special Measures, Turnaround and the Role of the PMO – Paul Fenton

Paul shares practical experiences of working with organisations facing special measures and turnaround.

The session will explore:

• What happens when an organisation enters special measures
• The role of governance, reporting and portfolio visibility
• The stages of stabilising, developing and sustaining improvement
• How PMOs can support recovery without creating more bureaucracy
• The importance of staff engagement, trust and psychological safety
• Lessons PMOs can apply before an organisation reaches crisis point

 

2.35pm – 2.50pm – Refreshment break

2.50pm – 3.40pm – Panel: Leading PMOs in Complex Public Service Environments

A panel of PMO leaders from across Leeds discussing the realities of leading PMOs in pressured and highly regulated organisations.

Suggested discussion areas:

• Where should the PMO sit and who should sponsor it?
• How do PMOs influence decisions when everything appears to be a priority?
• How do teams balance transformation with keeping essential services running?
• What capability is currently missing from public service PMOs?
• How can governance become simpler and more useful?
• What do PMO leaders need from one another?

The session will include questions and contributions from the audience.

3.40pm – 4.15pm – AI Starts with Data: The PMO’s Journey to Digital Maturity

Every PMO wants to leverage AI, but few have the trusted data foundation needed to make it work. AI doesn’t solve disconnected systems, inconsistent processes, or poor-quality data – it amplifies them. The organisations seeing real value from AI are those that have first invested in digital maturity.

This session explores how PMOs can build a single source of truth by connecting project, portfolio, resource, and risk data within the Microsoft ecosystem. We’ll demonstrate how better governance, integrated reporting, and intelligent automation create the foundation for AI-driven forecasting, portfolio insights, and decision support. Rather than replacing existing investments, attendees will discover how to unlock more value from Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Power BI, and Copilot using a pragmatic, phased approach.

Key takeaways:

• Why AI success depends on trusted, connected project and portfolio data.
• How to establish a single source of truth using the Microsoft Power Platform.
• Practical ways to automate reporting, governance, and routine PMO activities.
• A realistic roadmap for evolving from manual reporting to AI-powered portfolio intelligence.

4.15pm – 4.35pm – Sharing One

Room discussions

4.35pm – 4.50pm – The House of PMO

A short session from the House of PMO about developments in the PMO profession.

4.50pm – 5.00pm – Closing reflections

A summary of the main themes from the afternoon and an invitation for attendees to identify one action they will take back to their PMO.

Who should attend?

The event is for people working in or alongside PMOs across healthcare, police, fire, ambulance, government and other complex or highly regulated organisations.

It will be particularly relevant for Heads of PMO, PMO Managers, PMO Directors, Portfolio Managers, Programme Office leads and PMO practitioners.

Why attend?

You’ll hear honest experiences from people working in pressured public service environments, connect with PMO peers and leave with practical ideas to take back to your own organisation.

Join the Blue Light PMO community in Leeds and continue the conversation about what PMOs need to support complex and highly regulated organisations.

Free to attend, but places are limited

This is a free in-person event, supported by Power Framework.

Places are limited to help keep the afternoon focused and give attendees plenty of opportunity to contribute to the discussion. Please only book if you are intending to attend.

We know plans can change, so if you secure a place and later find you can’t make it, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer it to someone else.

Book your free place and join the Blue Light PMO community in Leeds.