The Business of Healthcare Podcast with Tara Humphrey

What does it really take to lead in a complex healthcare system?   In this solo episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara shares six practical reflections from her recent work across primary care, neighbourhood development, leadership programmes, and NHS transformation.   Whether you're leading a PCN, managing change across organisations, or simply trying to work more effectively within...

What does it take to build a healthcare technology company that survives 26 years of NHS change? In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara speaks with Andrew Whiteley, former GP and CEO of Lexacom, he shares how a simple frustration in general practice evolved into a business supporting thousands of clinicians, why innovation should always solve real-world problems, and how the r...

In this solo episode, Tara Humphrey opens up on a good day, after recording her last two solo episodes on harder ones. She shares the context that grief continues to give to how she shows up, and reflects on hearing Emilie Kiser on the Jay Shetty podcast speak about navigating work and life after losing her son. Tara wanted to record this episode in the hope it might help someone in her audience w...

What does it take to build and sustain a healthcare business through more than two decades of NHS change?   In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara is joined by Shaun Hockey, Managing Director of Medacy Ltd.   Drawing on 22 years of experience as both a pharmacist and business owner, Shaun reflects on the realities of entrepreneurship in healthcare, the evolution of pharmacy se...

What happens when an HR professional finds themselves on the other side of redundancy?   In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara is joined by Sarah Boxall, HR and recruitment professional with more than 20 years of experience across the private sector, local government, higher education, and the NHS.   Sarah offers a unique perspective on navigating organisational change, caree...

In this episode of the Business of Healthcare podcast, Tara is joined by pharmacy leader and self-described "serial integrator" Michael Lennox for a passionate conversation about the relationship between community pharmacy and general practice, and why working together is essential for the future of healthcare.     Michael shares how two decades in healthcare leadership shaped his belief that seam...

In this episode, Tara speaks with Bobby Pozzoni-Child, Director of Partnerships and Transformation for the Primary Care Provider Collaborative     Together, they explore what it really means to work across a complex healthcare system, from understanding "place" and "neighbourhood" working, to building a career without a clear path. Bobby shares honest insights on curiosity, leadership, and the rea...

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare, Tara sits down with GP partner and entrepreneur Nabeel Arshad to explore what it really means to run a modern general practice like a business.   From growing a patient list from 10,000 to 20,000 in under five years, to transforming patient access through tech and communication, Nabeel shares practical, honest insights into what works, and what doesn'...

What happens when a physio drives 35 minutes to see one patient, drives 35 minutes back, and does it again the next day? That's how Pure Physiotherapy started in 2006, in a small room off the back of a gym in Rotherham. Twenty years later, Finn Robinson's company supports nearly 250 PCNs across England, seeing over 90,000 patients a month. In this episode, Tara sits down with Phin, returning guest...

Returning to work after bereavement is one of the hardest things you will ever navigate — and almost nobody talks honestly about what it looks like from the inside. In this episode of The Business of Healthcare, Tara Humphrey shares her personal experience of working while grieving after losing her daughter. This is not a how-to guide. It is an honest, unfiltered account of what grief at work actu...

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara is joined by Dr Steve Taylor, Steve had been a GP Partner in Manchester since 1994 before leaving his partnership in 2021 to work as a locum. He was also a GP trainer for 24 years and involved in training more than 60 GPs. He started advocating for GPs and the NHS more generally in 2021 having more time to look at the issues and potential...

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara is joined by Ben Gowland, Director and Principal Consultant at Ockham Healthcare, to discuss the future of primary care, the role of relationships in effective leadership, and what the latest GP contract signals for Primary Care Networks and neighbourhood working.   Ben & Tara reflect on how leadership, collaboration and system dynamics h...

We've reached the final episode of our How It Got Commissioned series, and this one takes a different perspective.     This week, Tara is joined by Jim Gabriel, Chief Commercial Officer of CardMedic, bringing a rare secondary care and commercial lens to one of healthcare's biggest questions:     How do you actually sell innovation into the NHS?     While many conversations focus on ideas and innov...

This week on The Business of Healthcare Podcast, we're joined by Dr Neil Modha from Thistlemoor Medical Centre. Neil shares his insights on how primary care practices can identify opportunities, innovate services, and work collaboratively with hospitals to create sustainable, patient-focused solutions.       In this episode, we cover: Turning opportunities into action - How Neil transformed unused...

In the fifth episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast – How It Got Commissioned series, Tara is joined by Dr Faris Al-Ramadani, GP Partner and former Primary Care Network Clinical Director, to explore how a locally developed mental health service moved from frontline problem to a working, commissionable model during the COVID-19 pandemic.   As demand for mental health support rapidly increase...

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast – How It Got Commissioned, Tara is joined by Rukshana Kapasi, Director of Health at Barnardo's, the UK's largest children's charity.   Rukshana shares the story behind a short-term pilot that placed family support workers in A&E to reduce avoidable and repeat attendances by children and young people. What began as a three month, winter-pressure...

In the third episode of the 'How It Got Commissioned' series, Tara is joined by Dr Selvaseelan Selvarajah to explore how the Same Day Access service was commissioned and developed in Tower Hamlets.   Selvaseelan shares the real story behind designing a service from scratch to address one of the biggest pressures in primary care: same day access. Together, they unpack how collaboration between PCNs...

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast – How It Got Commissioned, Tara is joined by Alison Gardiner, Founder of Born Digital Health and Co-Founder & CEO of Sleepstation, a digital health service focused on improving sleep at scale across the NHS.   Alison shares the real story behind how Sleepstation was commissioned, scaled, and sustained through major system change, offering pract...

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast – How It Got Commissioned, we speak with Dr Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, CEO and Founder of Patients Know Best, about the commissioning and rollout of personal health records in Northwest London.   Mohammad shares insights on the unique challenges of the tender process, the importance of patient consent, and navigating negotiations with key stakeholder...

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara explores the importance of understanding the context in which we work, and why context shapes how people think, act, and respond to change.   Drawing on personal experience in leadership and consultancy, Tara reflects on why taking time to understand different perspectives has been central to her work for over a decade. She explains how p...

In this first episode of 2026, Tara opens the year with a very different kind of conversation, and marks the launch of The Business of Healthcare Podcast on YouTube.   This episode is for anyone who isn't entering the new year with "New Year, New Me" energy, particularly those who have experienced loss, uncertainty, or significant change. Tara shares her own reflections and the tools that are help...

This November, in recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month, we are resharing a series of important episodes that explore the realities, challenges, and innovations surrounding diabetes care and management. This week's reshared episode features Partha Kar, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, among many other roles. Partha shares what inspired him to work in diabetes and reflects on an importan...

This November, in recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month, we are resharing a series of important episodes that explore the realities, challenges, and innovations surrounding diabetes care and management. This week's episode features Maddie Julian, CEO and Co-founder of DigiBete, an NHS-approved, patient-centred video platform and app created to support and empower children, young people, and fami...

This November, in recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month, we are resharing a series of important episodes that explore the realities, challenges, and innovations surrounding diabetes care and management. This week's reshared episode features Chris Bright, a passionate advocate who is reshaping the narrative around diabetes. Chris highlights the importance of education and awareness, and discusses...

Dharmesh Patel, Chief Executive of Primary Eyecare Services, joins Tara to explore how optometry can transform the future of primary care. As the NHS shifts more services into the community, Dharmesh explains how local opticians can become a frontline defense, easing hospital pressure while improving access to essential eye care. Dharmesh shares his perspective on the financial, ethical, and struc...