HSJ Health Check

NHS England has revealed its new “model ICB blueprint”, which will see more than a dozen functions transferring out of integrated care boards and requirements to cut the number of board members. We cover what the new slimmed-down ICBs will look like and what these changes will mean for providers. Also - HSJ revealed last week NHSE and the government are slashing ring-fenced funding for services su...

The first in an occasional series of HSJ Health Check podcasts tracking the development of the government’s planned Health Bill, which is due to bring about the biggest change in the central running of the NHS for more than a decade. The government’s plans raise huge questions about how the NHS will be run in coming years. The series will explore what ministers and officials have in store as their...

HSJ revealed last week at least £150m has been wasted planning for "new hospitals" that might never materialise. We explore where else trusts can turn, with major state-funded rebuilds now off the agenda for many areas. That could mean reviving private financing, a new drive on patch-up maintenance efforts, and a much greater reliance on community services and tech. Also this week, Saman...

This week the team look at the continuing fallout from the ICB cuts and pending abolition of NHS England, following the first interview with new boss Sir Jim Mackey. Bureau chief Ben Clover stands in for Annabelle Collins as host and is joined by Dave West and Mimi Launder

Another damning coroner’s report has been published following the preventable death of baby Ida Lock at a Lancashire hospital, so this week we take a closer look at why the NHS is beset with so many maternity scandals. It has also been reported health secretary Wes Streeting is considering a public inquiry into maternity care, and we discuss why this might not bring about the fast change so badly...

As the dust begins to settle, we unpick one of the busiest weeks ever for NHS news.   We talk more about what the abolition of NHS England means for integrated care boards, Jim Mackey’s top team and their reset plans, and NHSE’s u-turn on imposing a new cap on elective spending.

The annual NHS Staff Survey results have been released, so this week we take a closer look at this year’s trends. Among the findings is a worrying rise in the proportion of staff experiencing violence and discrimination from patients and the public. HSJ’s Annabelle Collins and Nick Kituno are joined by Picker Institute CEO Chris Graham.

This week we discuss why private providers are threatening to refuse to treat NHS patients, and why hospital bosses are equally vexed. We also cover how the outdated NHS IT estate has become a national security issue and what needs to be done to stop future data breaches and cyber attacks.

Amanda Pritchard is stepping down as NHS England’s CEO at the end of next month, while Wes Streeting embarks on a massive reorganisation of the centre. This week we cover the reaction to this news, what’s lies in store for NHSE and who will be steering it through this significant change. Also - an update on some top appointments at the Care Quality Commission.

This week the HSJ team look at money and what is coming for what is expected to be toughest financial year for the NHS in a generation. HSJ editor Alastair McLellan talks about the “pig of a year” senior leaders have warned of. While finance reporter Henry Anderson takes us through what the mood music is on bringing back PFI, an expensive way of getting new capital into the system – but is it the...

This week we take a closer look at Wes Streeting’s tough talk on NHS deficits – the health and social care secretary has told the NHS there can be no overspending without consequences. But what will this actually mean in practice, how has NHS England responded, and what will trusts have to cut to balance the books? Also this week, we discuss an HSJ  story that revealed Ambulance services would sti...

NHS England published the 2025-26 planning guidance last week, so we break down what it means for the service.   We discuss new targets, including a challenging elective care ambition, the high-profile commitments dropped, and news that trusts are to take on more responsibilities from ICBs next year.   A busy few days also saw the NHS’s mandate for 2025-26 from ministers published last week, so we...

HSJ Health Check is joined by two of the most influential and experienced NHS leaders to talk about lessons for the government's 10-year plan from their systems, and from the past. Former NHS England chief Sir David speaks about how the Black Country, where he is now a trust chair, has used community services to reduce emergency admissions among older people. He says government should ensure t...

This week the government finally revealed its new - and mostly delayed - target dates for the building of the promised “new hospitals”. It left many trusts and communities severely disappointed and worried about how they will deliver care from ageing, and sometimes dangerous, estates. We discuss the revised timelines for the NHP, the reaction from trusts and the impact the decisions have had on NH...

On this episode we unpick the ongoing tensions among leaders and senior doctors at one of the biggest trusts in England. University Hospitals Birmingham - previously a flagship teaching trust with an influential leadership - has been through the mire over the past few years, with a string of concerns over culture and care quality. A new top team says it is tackling deep-seated problems, but over r...

This week the team looks at the new elective recovery plan launched this month. The government has tightened to focus on what improvement looks like and introduced some new incentives, but will it be enough? We also take a look at the ever-contentious New Hospitals Programme. Bureau chief Ben Clover is joined by Henry Anderson and Zoe Tidman.

The HSJ Health Check team reveals our predictions for the big issues — and unexpected developments — in 2025, on this week’s Christmas podcast. What to expect in reform, finance, integration, primary care, workforce and more in the coming 12 months. With HSJ  deputy editor Dave West, senior correspondent Henry Anderson, and correspondent Mimi Launder. Send thoughts, tips, story ideas to ben.clover...

This week the team looks at the fallout from the government’s positions on staff pay from band 2 to VSM via the banks and agencies. Bureau chief Ben Clover is joined by reporters Henry Anderson and Alison Moore.

This week bureau chief Ben Clover is joined by Mimi Launder and Joe Talora. The team talk about who is really in charge of overseeing providers and what Labour’s big plan to overhaul the health tech sector might mean.

This week, the podcast looks at accountability in the NHS and the Thirlwall Inquiry

This week guest host Ben Clover is joined by emergency care correspondent Matt Discombe and safety correspondent Emily Townsend. The team unpack the many policy implications of announcements made at last week's NHS Providers conference, as well as a big moment in the main auditorium. A worrying development with echoes of the Noughties also comes under the spotlight

ICS leader Fiona Edwards, trust chief Daniel Elkeles, and policy guru Nigel Edwards join the HSJ podcast to tell us what's needed from the government's 10-year health plan. Helping and reforming general practice will be crucial, they agreed, but what should be dictated nationally and what must be left to national decisions?

This week on the HSJ Health Check podcast, guest host Ben Clover is joined by the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers to talk money, quality and the CQC

This week guest host Ben Clover and the team look at what no money for winter means for the NHS, and how real a bold new integration scheme is.

This week the team discuss whether the NHS's whole safety, safe-staffing and quality system is getting overhauled, plus was it one simple trick that slashed waiting times at a trust? Guest host Ben Clover is joined by HSJ reporters Alison Moore and Emily Townsend.