Health On The Line

The King’s Speech, perhaps more than anything else, signals where the new government’s priorities really lie: what made it in and what was left out speaks volumes. To scratch beneath the surface, Matthew Taylor talks to Sam Freedman, public policy expert and commentator, about the implications of the proposed bills, and Natasha Curry, deputy director of policy at the Nuffield Trust, about the...

In this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor interviews journalist and author Isabel Hardman and former health advisor Paul Corrigan, who has since been announced as a new advisor to the Department for Health and Social Care. They reflect on the election result and early announcements, the new Government's approach to the health service, and the need for long-term planning and i...

Not long after the general election was announced, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that the UK’s fiscal position will hang over the campaign like a dark cloud. With less than a week until polling day, questions are mounting about what an incoming government is likely to inherit and what that might mean for public finances in the next parliament. In this episode, Matthew Taylor talks...

In this NHS ConfedExpo special, Matthew Taylor is joined by journalist Victoria Macdonald and former political adviser Richard Sloggett to consider the future of the NHS in the context of the general election. Dissecting the main political parties’ pledges and promises, they surface the unanswered questions and issues on which the parties have fallen silent. Get their take the thorny issues of soc...

A critique sometimes levelled at parts of the NHS is that it suffers from a listening problem; that it talks a good game when it comes to community engagement, but does not always follow through. Yet in South London, a unique initiative is underway that challenges this notion. In this episode, Matthew Taylor is joined by Sir Norman Lamb and Matthew Bolton, who, together with a range of local partn...

By the end of 2023, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust had made the most improvement on waiting lists for emergency care than any other trust in England. How did they do it? In this episode, Matthew Taylor sits down with the trust’s chief executive, Matthew Trainer, to find out more, and they get candid about leadership and improvement in testing times. Matthew details...

Vaccinations are one of the most effective public health interventions, but what evidence is there of their economic and social value? Is there really a return on investment and what are the interlinks with health, work and prosperity? In this episode, Matthew Taylor put these questions, and more, to Lotte Steuten , deputy chief executive of the Office of Health Economics and Chris Thomas , head o...

With a general election looming, how does the public really feel about the NHS? And how are the main political parties responding? To scratch beneath the surface, Matthew Taylor sits down with Kate Duxbury and James Frayne to explore attitudes towards the health service. Delving into views on access, performance and staff and perceptions on waste, efficiency and spend, they consider where next for...

In this episode of Health on the Line, host Matthew Taylor takes a deep dive into the state of primary care in England with special guest  Professor Aruna Garcea . As a leading figure in primary care and a practising GP, Professor Garcea offers insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. From increasing demand to the uncertainty surrounding funding and industrial ac...

Dr Rachel Clarke was on the front line of the NHS’s response as the COVID virus swept across the country in early 2020. Her book, Breathtaking, which captures her experiences dealing with the pandemic has now been fictionalised in an ITV series. Matthew talks to Rachel about why she wrote the book and made the TV series, the sacrifices made by staff during the pandemic and the disconnect between t...

Vaccination is the second most effective public health policy after clean water, yet vaccination rates in the UK are falling. In this episode, Steve Russell, NHS England's chief delivery officer and national director for vaccinations and screening, debates why and how the recently published vaccination strategy has a unique opportunity to impact health gain.   Sitting down with Matthew T...

Are systems set up to meet the needs of future generations? Is enough being done to act on the social determinants of health? In this episode, we hear five perspectives on these questions and get their take on why – and how – the relationship between the NHS, citizens and communities needs to change. Recorded at the ICS Network’s conference in November and chaired by Jacob Lant, chief executive of...

People with a learning disability have poorer health and experience greater and persistent inequalities in health. So how can we shift the dial? In this episode, Dr Jane Padmore, chief executive of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, explores how reimagining the workforce, making better use of the voluntary sector and deepening understandings of learning disability, autism and neurodiversity...

In this special episode, Matthew Taylor sits down with Sam Allen and Penny Pereira to explore the nuts and bolts of improvement at system level, its role in large-scale change and propelling transformation. Get to grips with improvement fundamentals, the factors needed for it to flourish and why building community is key to making it stick. This episode follows the launch of a new partnership betw...

The NHS has renewed its focus on improvement, with integrated care systems charged with becoming ‘self-improving systems’ across England. While a necessary challenge, no other country in the world has undertaken improvement at this scale. In this episode, Matthew Taylor sits down with Prof Sir Chris Ham to unpack the system model of improvement – what it means, where it is working well and how it...

Are changes needed to the NHS’s capital programme? In a first for Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor puts the question directly to the minister in charge. Tune is as Lord Markham CBE shares his views on the New Hospitals Programme, capital funding cycles and approvals processes. Get his take on the NHS’s role in economic regeneration, investment in out-of-hospital care and how to tackle the ‘innov...

In June 2023, the final report from a minister-commissioned review was released; the report followed a rapid review into data on mental health inpatient settings. In this episode Dr Geraldine Strathdee , chair of the review, talks to Mental Health Network chief executive Sean Duggan about its key findings and recommendations. Delve into the detail of how data across the system can enable people to...

From the NHS Confederation's Health Beyond the Hospital conference, Matthew Taylor hosts a discussion on out-of-hospital care and how novel collaborative approaches can lead to unexpected benefits.   Coinciding with the launch of our report  Unlocking the Power of Health Beyond the Hospital , Matthew is joined by Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of the London Ambulance Service NHS Tr...

Author and journalist Isabel Hardman discusses how from its inception the NHS has always had a unique political undercurrent running alongside the day-to-day healthcare challenges. On the launch of her new book on the history of the NHS, she reveals how successive governments and health ministers have approached the challenge of dealing with one of the UK’s most beloved institutions.  Isabel’...

A year on from their establishment as statutory organisations, how are integrated care systems (ICSs) getting on? In this episode, Matthew Taylor puts the question to three system leaders, exploring what's working well, what remains to be solved and the difference system working is making locally – to patients, communities and staff. Recorded at NHS ConfedExpo just ahead of the government’s respon...

What will it take to crack the prevention nut? In this episode, Matthew Taylor puts the question to Dr Raghib Ali, chief medical officer and joint chief investigator of the pioneering Our Future Health programme. Discover all about the ambitious research programme, why preventative healthcare is mission critical and why data plays an important role in reimagining healthcare. Plus, get his take on...

Do we truly appreciate what is possible when primary care entrepreneurship is unlocked? In this episode, Matthew Taylor goes behind the scenes at Thistlemoor Medical Practice, a pioneering general practice in Peterborough led by Dr Neil Modha . Serving an inner-city population of close to 30,000, the practice has radically evolved its approach to meet local needs. Discover how the practice an...

For clinician turned entrepreneur Dr Elliot Street, elite sports training ignited an idea about how to turn surgical training on its head. In this episode, the award-winning clinician, co-founder and chief executive of Inovus Medical explores why surgical training methods were due an overhaul and his efforts to lead the charge. Hear his take on the barriers and enablers to innovation in the NHS, h...

Is economic growth really the engine for better health? In this episode, Matthew Taylor sits down with acclaimed global economist Baroness Dambisa Moyo to talk growth, productivity and the post-pandemic world. Hear her take on the economic legacy of COVID-19, lessons for the future and why growth is vital to solving healthcare challenges. Tap into her insights on leadership in turbulent times and...

For Patricia Hewitt, integrated care systems (ICSs) are the best opportunity we have to transform the health and care system this generation. But realising their potential requires fundamental change – this has been Patricia’s focus over the past few months. On 4 April, the former health secretary and integrated care board chair released the final report from her review into the oversight and gove...