The Aural Apothecary

In this final episode of Series 8, we are joined by Dr Ellie Cannon — NHS and private GP, women’s health specialist, Mail on Sunday health columnist, and author of The Little Book of HRT. The conversation ranges from the evolving landscape of menopause treatment and the dangers of health misinformation online to the role of the media in shaping public health behaviour. Ellie reflects on her 18-yea...

Are your medicines actually working for you? According to Professor Nick Barber, probably not as well as you think. In this episode of The Aural Apothecary, Jamie, Gimmo and STC are joined by Professor Nick Barber — pharmacist, academic and author of the new book How to take Drugs  — for a sharp, eye-opening conversation about why medicines so often fail in the real world. Not because the drugs ar...

Is healthcare becoming too much like a repair shop? In this episode, we are joined by Professor Sir Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, for a wide-ranging conversation on 10 years of Realistic Medicine and the themes explored in his latest report, Critical Connections. Together we explore the need to create a better balance between biography and biology when practicing evidence based...

In this episode, we explore the challenging landscape of disinformation in healthcare with Associate Professor Dr. Lena Frischlich from the University of Southern Denmark. Lena is co-director of the Center for Digital Democracy and an expert in media psychology and communication science. Her research focuses on the interplay between the digital realm, human cognition, and behavior—particularly how...

How did three pharmacists , two of whom had never met, come together to create one of the most distinctive medicines-focused podcasts around? In this fifth anniversary special, hosted by Sarah Cripps , we reflect on five years of remarkable guests, powerful stories, and conversations that have reshaped how we think about medicines.  We look back at what has made us laugh, what has stayed with us,...

In an era where “there’s an app for that” is increasingly the answer, we turn our attention to what digital transformation really means for medicines. Not just convenience and clicks, but safety, understanding, and how people actually experience care. In this episode, hosted by Jamie Hayes, STC, and Gimmo, we’re joined by Rahul Singal, Senior Responsible Officer for the Digital Medicines Programme...

The Apothecaries are back on the road! In this special live episode, The Aural Apothecary takes the stage at the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, hosted at Jesus College, Oxford University, as part of the Institute’s 10-year anniversary conference. Our guest is Professor Ben Goldacre — a hero of ours, and the bestselling author of Bad Pharma, whose work has shaped how we think about evi...

In this festive, end-of-year episode, the Apothecaries are joined by the fourth and fifth Apothecaries, Clare Howard and Jonathan Underhill. We reflect on momentous moments in medicines alongside some personal reflections, including the impact of AI on medicine, the drive towards reducing hospital stays for older frail patients, and the successes of the HPV vaccination program. Some familiar faces...

What really happens to medicines after we swallow them? Where do they end up… and what exactly are we flushing away? Which medicines might we be taking —unknowingly—the next time we pour a glass of tap water? In this episode, we explore the hidden life of pharmaceuticals after they leave our bodies. Professor Alistair Boxall, environmental chemist at the University of York, joins us to unpack the...

Data - it’s mentioned in the new NHS 10 year Health Plan 178 times! As healthcare continues to evolve, the ability to turn data into insight — and insight into better prescribing — has never been more important. In this episode, we’re joined by Brian McKenna, Director of Research and NHS Service Analytics at the Bennett Institute, University of Oxford, to discuss how we can get better at data. We...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Laurence Gray, Consultant Clinical Pharmacologist and Director of the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) in Cardiff. We explore the vital topic of toxicity — from the dangers of medicines such as propranolol, to the principles of managing patients exposed to toxic substances, and the crucial role of healthcare professional education in reducing harm. Dr...

Dr Jessica Morley is a leading expert in digital health ethics, data governance, and artificial intelligence policy. Currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at Yale University’s Digital Ethics Center, she previously served as Director of Policy at the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at the University of Oxford. Jess has also worked at the heart of digital transformation in the NHS, advising...

This episode we are joined by Dr Margaret McCartney a practising General Practitioner and a Senior Clinical Lecturer in General Practice at the University of St Andrews. Margaret is a vocal advocate for Evidence Based Medicine and regular journal / newspaper columnist and contributor to the BBC Radio 4 programme Inside Health. Does accepting money for a view affect a healthcare professional’s abil...

In this special episode we ‘Dive in at the Deep End’ and examine in-depth the Inverse Care Law. What is it, why does it matter to medicines optimisation - and what can we do about it? The Inverse Care Law is a term first defined by the Welsh GP Dr Julian Tudor Hart over 50 years to describe how, perversely, people who most need health care are the least likely to get it. A law that sadly is as tru...

What is a Clinical Pharmacologist? Who better to tell us than Professor Lauren Walker, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Honorary Consultant in General Internal Medicine at Liverpool University.  Lauren is a leading researcher in multimorbidity and AI-driven healthcare and plays a key role in early-phase clinical trials. We chat about her role in ‘First in Human’ trials - w...

What is Deprescribing? Why is it so important? And the big question... who invented it?! We present a masterclass in deprescribing from pharmacist Dr Emily Reeve from Monash University in Australia who is also Chair of the Australian Deprescribing Network. The need to review, reduce or stop medicines has been a regular topic of conversation here on the Aural Apothecary. But how do we do it? Depres...

Pull up a chair and join the Three Apothecaries around the fire as we wrap up the year with a lively chat featuring friends and colleagues Clare Howard and Jonathan Underhill. Together, we reflect on an exciting and dramatic year in the ever-changing world of healthcare and medicines. From groundbreaking developments like weight-loss drugs and debates around assisted dying to critical issues such...

Welcome to the second in our series of ‘The Aural Apothecary Analyses’, where we will be delving a bit deeper into some of the recurring themes from our first series. This week we are joined by Dr Matthew Jones and Angela Carrinton to discuss medicines safety and how we can help clinicians & patients make better decisions.  Healthcare professionals rely on guidelines to help them make the righ...

Freedom from Command and Control was the very first book choice on the Aural Apothecary and its themes of failure demand, systems thinking and value have featured heavily on the show ever since. It is a real pleasure therefore this week to welcome its author, John Seddon.  John Seddon is an occupational psychologist and author, specialising in the service industry. He is the managing director of V...

This week, when we return to our normal format we are joined by Community Pharmacist Dr Berwyn Owen. Berwyn is a pharmacy proprietor and prescriber in North Wales. Formerly a Chief Pharmacist and a member of the General Pharmaceutical Council he is well placed to discuss what the future of medicines management looks like through the lens of community pharmacy.  Drawing on his wide ranging experien...

Welcome back to The Aural Apothecary! For our first episode we bring you an exciting new format, where we’ll be diving deeper into some of the recurring themes from our first six series. The Aural Apothecary Analyses! In this episode, we focus on statins and the importance of shared decision making in healthcare. Inspired by a recent paper in the BMJ by Sam and Brian et al, we explore their argume...

Join us for the last episode of series six and a joyful exploration of the importance and reality of person centred care.  For five years Tommy Whitelaw was a full-time carer for his late mother Joan who had Vascular Dementia. In 2011 he undertook a walk around Scotland’s towns and cities to collect hundreds of life stories and letters detailing the experiences of individuals who care for a loved...

Pain in the eye? It is a red-flag all healthcare professionals are trained to be aware of. But when spotted, who deals with it? We are joined by Specialist Head and Neck Pharmacist Ann Marie Goacher. Ann Marie describes her journey from a local community pharmacist in Ireland to being the lead pharmacist for the head and neck directorate at University Hospitals Sussex. What does an ophthalmic and...

Do Doctors know best? How do you explain the risks and benefits of a medicine when you yourself don’t really know? We chat to Maricarmen Climént, Research and Editorial Officer at Sense about Science about risk communication and how we best help patients to make better choices in the face of uncertainty? Maricarmen has a diverse background in science journalism and risk communication and holds a d...

We chat to Physiotherapist and Consultant Practitioner, Esther Clift about her pioneering role in the management of frailty. A varied career, where a passion for working with older people was ignited in Southampton, where she undertook an MSc in Gerontology. She currently leads an Acute Frailty Service on the Isle of Wight.  What is frailty and how can the multi-disciplinary team support it? We ch...