Combinations Podcast from Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

Join Frieza as she sits down with Prem Gabbi to discuss his journey from growing up in Coventry to becoming a leader and Non-Executive Director. Prem reflects on the world he grew up in, the influence of his parents, and the experiences that shaped his understanding of opportunity, Through his work, he is passionate about creating better opportunities for the next generation, recognising many of h...

Join Kyle on the Combinations Podcast as he visits the Greenfield Centre to spend time with the Carers Group. This group has been created to recognise, support, and connect members of the community who provide full-time care for a loved one. Through conversation and shared experiences, Kyle explores the important role carers play and the support available to them. Being a carer is not always obvio...

Join Kyle Live from Port Vale Football Club for this year's Long Service Awards, a special event celebrating the dedication, achievements and years of service of staff across the NHS. Like last year, Kyle will be out among the staff round the tables speaking to colleagues to uncover some of the inspiring stories that have gone untold. From memorable career moments to the people and experiences tha...

Frieza Mahmood and Ben Richards continue their conversation on leadership, exploring how we tackle workplace culture and why it matters to stand up for those who are often overlooked. They reflect on the different challenges people face, with Ben sharing personal experiences of how certain aspects of his identity impact everyday life, including where he feels able to travel.

Please note, some topics discussed may be triggering for some listeners. To open 2026, we are handing the platform to our executive team to share the challenges they have faced throughout their careers, and how those experiences shape the way they lead today. In this episode, Ben Richards and Frieza Mahmood speak openly about the barriers they have encountered, and how they use those lessons will...

In this episode, Kyle sits down with the team from the Wellbeing College to talk about the work they do supporting professionals and service users across Stoke-on-Trent. The Wellbeing College delivers a wide range of workshops, each shaped by both professional expertise and lived experience. Together, these perspectives create sessions that are practical, relatable, and grounded in real life. The...

Join host Kyle for a special episode celebrating Advanced Practice Week (10th–15th November), shining a spotlight on one of the NHS’s most exciting and evolving roles, the Advanced Practice Nurse. Introduced in the late 2010s, this fairly new position bridges the gap between nursing and medicine, offering experienced nurses a new pathway to expand their skills, autonomy, and impact on patient care...

In this episode we are joined by the Lotus Maternal Mental Health Service, a specialist service based in North Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent, offering support for families affected by pregnancy and baby loss. The Lotus team helps people through loss, trauma, miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancies, birth complications, and neonatal death We’re recording today’s podcast to help recognise Baby...

Todays podcast our Chief People Officer Frieza and Non-Executive Director Martin officially launched The People Show — a new platform dedicated to shining a light on our staff, their stories, and the behind-the-scenes moments that shape the way we work. The People Show is designed to celebrate the people who make Combined what it is, giving colleagues across the Trust the opportunity to share thei...

Join Kyle as he walks around the Long Service Award event, speaking to staff about their experiences, their careers in the NHS, and what’s kept them at the Trust or in the NHS for so many years. From reflections on how things have changed for the better to the funny stories that stay with them, this episode captures the voices of those who’ve dedicated decades to improving healthcare and supportin...

In this episode, we delve into a quality improvement project that transformed the resuscitation trolley system at our trust, saving over £7,500. What began as a problem with 14 separate orders for the same supplies—where items, like airways, were purchased in boxes of 50 when only one was needed—became an opportunity to streamline the process and reduce waste. By centralising stock and improving t...

Welcome to Episode 93 of the Combinations Podcast, where we dive into the incredible work of the Elevate Youth Council—a passionate group within Children’s and Adolescent Services made up of ex-service users and young people dedicated to improving mental health services across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. In this episode, host Kyle is joined by Kirsty and Sabrina, who support the council from...

In today’s episode of The Combination Podcast, we’re diving into the exciting relaunch of the Combined Charity and how the incredible staff at Combined are coming together to raise money this year. Join Liz, Rob, and Terri-Anne as they share their roles within the charity, the impact of their work, and the amazing fundraising events happening across the trust. Charity Page - https://www.combined.n...

In this episode of The Quality Show, Kenny Laing is joined by Vickie Washington for an discussion on strengthening child protection in our communities, as they explore the key challenges facing child safety today, Vickie also shares insights into her latest project, a Quality Improvement (QI) initiative designed to enhance child protection efforts. She explains how this initiative aims to drive re...

In this episode of the Combinations Podcast, host Kyle speaks with Rachel, Sherrine, and a guest from the Royal College of Psychiatrists to explore the Culture of Care—a new initiative being introduced across the wards at Harplands. This project is all about bringing staff and patients together to build a more compassionate, collaborative approach to care.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of the Combinations Podcast, we sit down with Mike who writes under the pen name of ‘Max Austin’. Mike is a gay nurse, husband, adopter, father and author. With breathtaking honesty, he shares his truth of the LBGTQIA+ experience set against the backdrop of changing hospital life and wider society. What happens when you just don’t want to say goodbye? B...

Join us for an episode of our Combinations podcast, where we explore the impact of going digital in healthcare. In this episode, our guests Lou and Lesley discuss how implementing digital systems can reduce CO₂ emissions, minimise paper waste, and make healthcare more efficient. We'll look at how simple changes, like offering text reminders to patients, can lower the number of missed appointments....

In this episode of Combinations Podcast, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust explores their Quality Improvement (QI) approach to supporting carers. Featuring an insightful panel discussion, we delve into the crucial role of unpaid carers, examining how we recognise their contributions and provide meaningful support.

Join us for a special episode of our Cycle to Work Day podcast, where we discuss the benefits of cycling as a healthier way to commute. We'll be chatting with local partners who are championing cycling as a sustainable way to travel, and we'll hear from Staffordshire County Council about its innovative bike recycling programme which gives bikes a second life in the community or strips them down fo...

Combinations Podcast Episode 85 - A Visit from Texas Students by Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

Join Kyle, Digital Content Lead at Combined Healthcare, and a range of Sustainability Champions on this episode of the Combinations Podcast recorded on Earth Day 2024. This episode follows the launch of the Proud to be Green campaign to focus on the sustainability initiatives that are taking place across the trust. The group discuss quarter one of this campaign with a focus on workforce and adapta...

In this episode we spoke to colleagues from Dedalus, a leading international industrial group in healthcare software, about the creation of PatientAide. Joined by Lou Wright from the trust's Digital team, the podcast discusses update 5 of the online tool that allows patients to access their health documents all in one place. PatientAide has been launched this week by Combined Healthcare and aims t...

In today's podcast, we are listening to the majority of people who have been involved in the partnership of the project. Chrysalis, Project Chrysalis is a phased project that is rebuilding our plans to modern standards. The project has been a partnership between Interclass, the project Chrysalis at combined and the ward staff, and managers who work on the wards.

In this episode of the Combinations podcast, join Kyle, the digital content lead, as he engages with a diverse group of guests—Anna, Hector, Veronica, and Boluwatife. Together, they delve into the experience of being champions for speaking up. The conversation explores various avenues for individuals to express their voices, providing insights on accessing freedom to speak up. Tune in to unravel t...

On this week's episode, Kyle, Digital Content Lead for Combined NHS, is joined by Sustainability Champion and Comms team-mate Molly Mansfield to talk about their visits to three different garden/outdoor spaces onsite across the Trust and how this links in with the sustainability initiatives for Combined. It was great to visit the garden space where staff and service users have been growing their o...