Health On The Line

With the health bill moving through parliament and the end of NHS England ever-looming, how realistic is a smooth transition - and can it really be done by next April? And is a single patient record going to be possible for the NHS, or are there too many pitfalls in its path?   In this special edition of Health on the Line, health minister Karin Smyth MP joins host Adam Brimelow for a one-on-...

The government has decided to scrap Healthwatch in England. So what happens when the NHS’s independent patient champion disappears next spring? Will moving its functions elsewhere cut duplication and simplify the patient safety landscape? Or could it weaken transparency and make it easier for concerns to be overlooked? In this episode of Health on the Line, Adam Brimelow is joined by Lord Philip H...

What does it take to report from the front line of the NHS?  In this episode of Health on the Line, we’re diving into the world of health and care journalism and exploring how news stories and investigations can play a huge role in uplifting the NHS, as well as holding its leaders to account. And we’re doing it live from the podcast arena at NHS ConfedExpo – the UK's leading health and care c...

In this episode of Health on the Line , host Adam Brimelow looks ahead to NHS ConfedExpo 2026, featuring interviews with Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, and Sir Ciarán Devane, Chief Executive of The NHS Alliance.  As the Ten Year Health Plan approaches its first anniversary, Adam explores with both leaders how much progress has been made over the past year and crucially, how m...

In this episode of Health on the Line, host Adam Brimelow explores one of the most ambitious and controversial elements of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan: the Single Patient Record (SPR).  Designed to give patients and clinicians access to joined-up digital health information through the NHS App, the SPR promises safer, faster and more coordinated care.  But after years of failed N...

In this episode of Health on the Line, we’re turning our attention to the mounting financial pressures facing ICBs and NHS trusts as demand for services continues to rise. The NHS Alliance has produced a report, Targets and Trade-offs: the Cost of NHS Finance and Performance Ambitions in 2026/27, which draws on surveys, interviews and ongoing feedback from leaders to build a picture of what’s happ...

Is public confidence in the NHS finally turning a corner, or is this just a temporary lift?   In this episode of Health on the Line, we’re diving into the latest British Social Attitudes survey and what it reveals about how the public feels about the NHS in 2025.  Matthew Taylor is joined by Dan Wellings, senior fellow at The King’s Fund and Leonor...

In this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is joined by Dean Royles, interim chief executive of NHS Employers, to discuss the latest NHS Staff Survey results and look at what they tell us about the reality of working in today’s health service. Together, they discuss how the survey highlights the scale of pressure facing the workforce, from rising burnout and falling morale to a decline...

In this episode of Health on the Line, we are joined by Paul Mears, chief executive of Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board and Nesta Lloyd Jones, assistant director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, to discuss the current outlook for healthcare in Wales. With Senedd elections looming and major political changes likely, we discuss how the Welsh health and care system operates, the challenges facing leader...

In this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is joined by two Australian healthcare leaders working at opposite ends of the globe. Frances Diver is a well-known and respected healthcare executive, having held senior leadership roles for more than 20 years in Victoria, Australia. She is currently chief executive officer at Barwon Health, a major regional health service in Victoria that inc...

The UK’s new National Cancer Plan sets out an ambitious vision for improving survival, speeding up diagnosis and transforming patient experience, but what will it take to turn those commitments into reality?  For this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is joined by Gemma Peters, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, to discuss wha...

In this episode of Health on the Line, host Matthew Taylor is joined by Professor Sir Mike Richards, chair of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and one of the most influential figures in modern NHS leadership.  Sir Mike reflects on his first year as CQC chair, the challenges of rebuilding confidence in regulation, and how inspection and assessment can better support improv...

Flu season arrived early in the UK this year, fuelling concerns that the NHS would face unprecedented strain over the winter months. Coupled with junior doctor strikes in the run up to Christmas, many feared the system could be pushed to breaking point.  Yet, so far at least, the NHS has managed to stay afloat.  In this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is join...

This episode of Health on the Line tackles the issue of worsening health inequalities across the UK and the urgent action required to address them.   With the theme of tackling these disparities running throughout the government’s NHS 10 Year Health Plan, there is an opportunity now to realign healt...

In this episode, Matthew Taylor is joined by Anita Charlesworth, senior economic adviser at the Health Foundation and Lee Outhwaite, chief financial officer of South Yorkshire ICB and President of the HFMA, to tease out the health sector implications of the Autumn Budget.     Together, they discuss measures intended to improve p...

For this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is joined by former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield. They discuss the thorny issue of ill health pushing millions of Britons out of work, and what can be done to tackle it. Mayfield’s recently published government review, which addresses the issue of worklessness and laying out some of the measures needed to deal with the problem, include...

In this week’s episode of Health on the Line, host Matthew Taylor is joined by interim permanent secretary for the Department of Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland and former NHS Confederation chief executive Mike Farrar.  Together the pair discuss the ambitions of the reset plan for health and social care in Northern Ireland published in July this year. They also touch on the importa...

In this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor speaks with Al Mulley, professor of medicine and professor of health policy clinical practice at Dartmouth University, where he has led a programme dedicated to forging partnerships around the world to build the capabilities essential to achieving sustainable healthcare economies.  Together, they discuss the issue of variation in both perf...

In this episode of Health on the Line , we mark the beginning of Black History Month with a timely conversation featuring two long time champions of diversity in the NHS: Dame Professor Robina Shah, consultant chartered psychologist and Professor of medical education and psycho-social medicine at the University of Manchester, and Joan Saddler OBE, director of partnerships and equality at the NHS C...

In this episode of Health on the Line, host Matthew Taylor is joined by two NHS Confederation colleagues Rebecca Gray , director of the Mental Health Network, and Rory Deighton , director of the Acute Network, to unpack the reintroduction of NHS league tables and their implications for NHS trusts. The trio discuss the intended role of league tables in driving improvement and accountability wi...

In this episode of Health on the Line, we dive deep into the challenges and future of the ambulance sector, often described as the ‘canary in the coalmine’ for NHS pressures.   Host Matthew Taylor is joined by three leading voices in the field:  Anna Parry , managing director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives   Simon Weldon , chief executive of South East Co...

This week on Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is joined by Andrew Bland, ICS lead for South East London, and Ruth Rankine, director of the NHS Confederation’s Primary Care Network, to discuss the shift to neighbourhood health as outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan.  Together they delve into the merits of the plan and possible barriers to its delivery, while reflecting on the emphasis on pro...

In this episode of Health on the Line, we’re diving into all things digital and how it relates to the Ten-Year Health Plan for the NHS. To discuss the topic, we are joined by Andrea Winders, head of business development for life sciences and healthcare at MIDAS (Greater Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency), and Dr Nnenna Osuji, chief executive of North Middlesex Hospital, to unpack the NHS’s amb...

In this episode, Matthew Taylor is joined by Dr Ify Okocha , James Duncan and Rebecca Gray to unpack the mental health implications of the government's new 10 Year Health Plan. From the rollout of neighbourhood health centres to mental health support in schools, the panel explores whether the plan’s bold ambitions can meet the realities of delivery. They also dive into harnessing digital tools, th...

Since its creation in 1948, the NHS has had to move with the times. But while change is an ever-present feature, can the NHS approach it in a different or better way? In this bonus episode, Matthew Taylor puts the question to Dr Richard Jones and Dr Llinos Jones from the ChangeACADEMY. The academy – a programme offered by AstraZeneca (AZ) in collaboration with the NHS Confederation – creates chang...