The King's Fund podcast

Helen McKenna speaks with Dr Nish Manek, a GP trainee and founder of the NextGen leadership programme, about her leadership journey, how she's dealt with imposter syndrome, and the impact of Covid-19 on how we deliver primary care. Find out more What enabled rapid digital change in primary care during the Covid-19 pandemic? (blog) Leadership in general practice during the Covid-19 pandemic: Dr Yas...

What can the NHS do to meet the health needs of people sleeping rough? What was the inside story of the Everyone In initiative during Covid-19? And will the government end rough sleeping by 2024? Helen McKenna sits down with Dame Louise Casey, recent Chair of the Prime Minister's Rough Sleeping Taskforce, Dr Caroline Shulman, a GP working in inclusion health, and Paul Atherton (FRSA), who shares h...

Ian Ford and Sarah Murphy, producers for The King's Fund podcast, sit down to reveal the top three podcast episodes of the year and look ahead to what's coming up in 2021.

Helen McKenna sits down with Kate Jarman, Director of communications and corporate affairs at Milton Keynes University Hospital and co-founder of Flex NHS to discuss what working flexibly means in practice, communicating during Covid-19 and activism in the health service. Find out more Working 9 to 5: Poppy Jaman on mental health and the work-life balance Leading through Covid-19 The digital revol...

Helen McKenna sits down with Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, to explore his approach to place-based leadership, the NHS's role as a 'place-shaper' and the city's experience of Covid-19. Find out more Healthy places: the link between your health and where you live The role of cities in improving population health: international insights What is population health?

Host Helen McKenna sits down with Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu to talk about what drew her to nursing, becoming the first Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia nurse specialist in the UK, and how to remain positive in the face of adversity. Related reading The courage of compassion: Supporting nurses and midwives to deliver high-quality care Professor David Williams on racism, discrimination and the im...

The Public Health England (PHE) review of disparities in risks and outcomes of Covid-19 showed that the pandemic followed the fault lines of existing inequalities and had a disproportionate impact on ethnic minority communities. So now that we know better, how can we do better? Anna Charles spoke to Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Director for Public Health England London and Regional Director of...

How is Covid-19 repeating patterns of existing health inequalities? What factors are driving the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on the health of ethnic minority populations? And what needs to happen next? Helen McKenna sits down with Natalie Creary, Programme Delivery Director at Black Thrive, and James Nazroo, Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester. Related reading Profes...

1 June marks the start of Volunteer's Week 2020 and this year, it's even more poignant given the critical role that volunteers have played in the response to Covid-19. Anna Charles sat down with Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, to find out about volunteering during Covid-19, the NHS Volunteer Responders scheme and how we can ensure that widespread community...

What's it like for clinicians working through the Covid-19 pandemic? And what really happened during the junior doctor dispute in 2015? Anna Charles talks with Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya, GP trainee and former chair of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee. Related reading: Managing your energy Heroic leadership: the order of the day? Leading through Covid-19  

The 22 March marked the first 100 days of the new Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Helen McKenna sat down with Michelle Mitchell OBE, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, Alex Thomas, a programme director at the Institute for Government, and Paul Corrigan CBE, former special adviser to two Secretaries of State for Health, and a former policy adviser to Tony Blair dur...

Could prisons be an opportunity to address serious health inequalities? Or do they lead to worse health for people living in prison? Anna Charles explores the health and wellbeing of people living in prison, their access to health and care services, and what happens on release. She's joined by Dr Jake Hard, Chair of the RCGP Secure Environments Group, Christina Marriott, CEO of Revolving Doors, Ch...

What is it like being the Chief Executive of The King's Fund? Helen McKenna spoke with Richard Murray about his first year in the job, the role of think tanks, the new strategy for The King's Fund and his vision for the health and care system. Related reading Our strategic priorities for 2020–24 Looking ahead to 2020 Closing the gap: key areas for action on the health and care workforce

Helen McKenna sits down with Ian Ford and Sarah Murphy, the producers of The King's Fund podcast, to look back on their favourite podcast moments of 2019.

How do our life experiences shape our health? What can we do to tackle social inequalities? Helen McKenna spoke with Professor David Williams from Harvard University about his research into the social influences on health and the interventions that could make a difference. Related reading Inequalities and inclusion in NHS providers 'We're here and you're there': lived experiences of ethnic minorit...

What are the main parties saying about health and social care in the general election debate? What comes next in delivering their manifesto pledges? Helen McKenna sits down with Sally Warren, Siva Anandaciva and Dave Buck from The King's Fund. Related reading What have the parties pledged on health and care?  Back in the 'too difficult' box: social care and the manifestos General election 2019: ou...

What's the scale of the challenge currently facing the NHS workforce? Prerana Issar sits down with Helen McKenna to discuss the NHS People Plan, her career journey, and what inspired her to take up her role as Chief People Officer for the NHS. Related reading NHS workforce: our position Closing the gap: key areas for action on the health and care workforce Compassionate and inclusive leadership

What role do the police play in responding to people in mental health crisis? Helen McKenna talks to Chief Constable Mark Collins, National Police Chief's Council Lead for Mental Health, Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of the Centre for Mental Health and Marsha McAdam, an expert by experience and Co-Chair of the Greater Manchester Personality Disorder Strategy Group. Related reading Mental health: o...

How can we address the nursing workforce crisis? Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, sits down with Helen McKenna to talk about nursing, workforce pressures and her leadership journey. Related reading NHS workforce: our position Closing the gap: key areas for action on the health and care workforce Brexit: the implications for health and socia...

With the recent Conservative leadership contest and Boris Johnson's inaugural speech as Prime Minister, social care funding reform is firmly back on the political agenda. In this episode, we look back at previous attempts at reform and explore why this has proved so challenging for successive governments. Helen McKenna speaks with Sir Andrew Dilnot CBE, Chair of the 2010/11 independent commission...

Where are we with diabetes prevention and treatment in England? Helen McKenna sits down with Dr Partha Kar, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, to talk about progress so far, the NHS workforce, and his leadership journey. Related reading Closing the gap: Key areas for action on the health and care workforce The prevention Green paper: the right time to put i...

What is it like working for Barack Obama and learning from NASA? What are the best and worst aspects of the NHS? Guest host Anna Charles sits down with Professor Don Berwick, President Emeritus at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to explore his career, the relationship between politics and health, and how to create joy in work. Related content Five myths about compassionate leadership The...

What's the best way to tackle serious youth violence such as knife crime? What does a public health approach look like and does it work? Helen McKenna sits down with Karyn McCluskey, who pioneered this approach in Glasgow, and Martin Griffiths, Vascular/ Trauma Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust. Related reading The role of cities in improving population health: international insights A vision for...

Who is responsible for our health and wellbeing? Helen McKenna talks with Professor Dame Sally Davies, as she prepares to move on from her role as Chief Medical Officer for England, about public health, her career, and the challenges of being a female clinical leader.

What can be done about race inequality in the NHS workforce? How can we ensure representative leadership happens? Helen McKenna talks with Yvonne Coghill, Director at NHS England Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES); Dionne Daniel, Project Lead, Nursing Workforce Remodelling Research Project; and Ben Morrin, Director of Workforce at University College London Hospitals. Related reading Diversity...