The MDTea Podcast

We’re back! After months of preparation and planning, we’ve got an amazing new series of the MDTea Podcast for you to enjoy. After taking a journey in Series 11 where we met each member of the hospital MDT (along with our patient, Jean) we’re ready to go again! And this time we’ll be joining Jean as she is discharged back into the community, and meets lots of the teams involved with her community...

Hello again everyone! Two bits of exciting news to share with you… First of all, Series 12 of the MDTea Podcast is on the way! We’ve already recorded lots of interviews for it, and it’s being pieced together as we speak. The first episode will be landing on Tuesday 26th July, just one week away! Over the course of Series 12, we’re going to be taking a closer look at the different teams making up h...

It’s time to meet the final member of the hospital team in Jean's journey. Today we’re speaking to social workers about their role involved in hospital discharge as well as their safeguarding responsibilities. Don’t forget to log your listening using our CPD log avalible on our website. http://thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk/series11home/

It’s time to meet the next members of the hospital MDT, and today it’s the turn of our dietitians! Having a substantial, nutrient-rich diet is as important for older people as it is for anyone else, and malnutrition can be a real problem as people age. In this episode, we explore what malnutrition is, why it affects older people so much, and the approach dietitians take to try and boost the nutrit...

This week we meet the next people in Jean’s MDT- the speech and language therapists.  How much do you know about this teams work and breadth of work they can help with? Do you know how they might help ensure patients cognition-communication (cog-com) disorders be involved in their own care? Do you know how to make a drink with thickener or why straws might not be better for all people with swallow...

Welcome along for another exciting episode of the MDTea Podcast! Today it's Episode 7 and we’re spending some time thinking about the amazing work done with older patients by occupational therapists (OT's).  OT's are problem solvers, and play a crucial role in enabling patients to carry out meaningful activities (or "occupations") and recover a degree of quality of life fo...

This week we are chatting to the physiotherapists working throughout Jean's time at the hospital. We meet Amy and Joe who work at the front door assessing patients as they arrive, Grace who works in a dedicated hip fracture unit and Ailie who is a respiratory physio working on a surgical ward. Then we think about  our case patient Jean as she continues her journey following her fall and how t...

Welcome back to the MDTea Podcast! Today on Episode 5 we’re looking into the exciting world of physician associates, and learning about the many ways they help the hospital team when it comes to looking after older patients. Physician associates first appeared in the UK in 2003, and have been growing in number since then. Nowadays, most hospitals have them working on the wards where they review pa...

This week we speak to our local hospital pharmacy team to find out how they help us manage patients like Jean.  We discuss her medicines, thinking about what they’re for and what problems might be associated with them. And how our pharmacy teams can help us and patients manage medications and patient care. Keep getting in touch on Twitter @mdtea_podcast, on Instagram @mdteapodcast or via email at...

In this episode, we’re delving into the daily lives of doctors. And we’re about to discover how many different types of doctor can come into contact with an older patient in hospital. The ones we’re going to meet in this episode include an A&E doctor, an orthopaedic surgeon and a group of elderly care medics. All with the same goal in mind…managing the acutely unwell patient, maximising their...

This week we are talking to nurses to find out how they fit into our multidisciplinary team caring for older adults. We think we can all agree nurses have very much been the face of the NHS since its inception, and possibly more so over the past two years. But who are nurses and what do they feel their experience is like? What are the challenges in their job- and more importantly what do they like...

We’re taking a closer look at a day in the life of a paramedic in our first episode of Series 11. Maybe the picture that springs to mind when you hear the word ‘paramedic’ is of an ambulance driving past you with its siren blaring. Or perhaps they might be people that you come across from time to time as they hand over unwell patients in the Emergency Department. But what do paramedics do? What do...

The MDTea podcast started out six years ago, with us wanting to create a place where we could foster multiprofessional learning around the care of older patients. And after 100 episodes that is still very much our aim. But we’ve decided to do something unique and exciting for Series 11 to explore what it really means to be part of the team. We want to spend time over the next ten episodes explorin...

Our 100th episode! This week we have a think about the (complex) topic of immigration law, the EU settlement scheme and the right to reside in the UK -  and how these rules and processes affect older adults uniquely, particularly with regards to access to health and social care. Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more detail and curriculum mapping...

Dr Gaggandeep Singh Alg and Chaplain and Pastor Steve Thomas join us for an open and honest discussion about some of the cultural and religious practices that surround death and dying. We explore specific traditions, but also learn about the plurality of practices in the UK across cultures and within religions, and the importance of talking to patients and families about their personal spiritual b...

What can elite older athletes tell us about the physiology of 'normal' ageing?  And what barriers exist that stop all of us (elite and non-elite) participating in sport and exercise as we age? We try to answer these questions and more with the help of Professor of Sociology, Emmanuelle Tulle.  Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more deta...

This week we discuss grief, bereavement and loss. As well as thinking about how grief can affect older adults uniquely, we look at the experience of losing loved ones with dementia, and also consider grief in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. For resources, or signposting to organisations to help with any issues raised in the episode, see our show notes. Show notes are available to view and do...

The number of older prisoners is increasing rapidly in the UK, and these individuals may have health and social care needs both unique to their circumstances, and comparable to those of their contemporaries in the community.  Listen to our conversation with Warren Stewart, as we begin to consider this topic. Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more...

In this episode we discuss sexuality, biases and the unique experiences and challenges that members of the LGBTQ+ community may face in relation to ageing. Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more detail and curriculum mapping against Foundation, IMT, GPVTS, Geriatric Registrar and NHS Knowledge Skills Framework (KSF) programmes. Presented by: Dr I...

Consultant rheumatologist Dr Helen Linklater and Occupational Therapist Tracy Szekely join the MDTea to discuss this common condition, the available interventions and the importance of an MDT approach when it comes to managing OA. Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more detail and curriculum mapping against Foundation, IMT, GPVTS, Geriatric Regist...

We explore the future of medical therapies for OA, and the current evidence for popular 'nutraceuticals' with Dr Helen Linklater. Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more detail and curriculum mapping against Foundation, IMT, GPVTS, Geriatric Registrar and NHS Knowledge Skills Framework (KSF) programmes. Presented by: Dr Iain Wilkinson an...

We explore the topic of population health, particularly in the context of an ageing population. We learn from the team joining us why it is so key that all health care professionals understand and contribute to population health, about how to live longer better and about how a project in Merton and Wandsworth is helping people to do just that. Show notes are available to view and download at www.t...

Iain speaks to Professor Sir Muir Gray about the recently published health and social care white paper. Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more detail and curriculum mapping against Foundation, IMT, GPVTS, Geriatric Registrar and NHS Knowledge Skills Framework (KSF) programmes.   Presented by: Dr Iain Wilkinson Special guest: Professor Sir Muir Gr...

Trigger warning: suicide and self harm. In this episode we explore the topics of suicide and self harm in relation to older adults. Dr Cate Bailey joins the faculty and we discuss the epidemiology, risk factors and features of these issues specific to older adults, as well as how to broach conversations about suicide and self harm.  Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingai...

Series 10 begins with 'prehabilitation', and Dr Tara Rampal joins as our special guest. We discuss the evidence for prehabilitation, the key to successful prehab programmes, what these programmes involve, and the future direction of the field.  Show notes are available to view and download at www.thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk for more detail and curriculum mapping against Foundation, IMT,...