The King's Fund podcast

How does the Labour Party plan to clear the NHS backlog? What public health initiatives might be mentioned in party proposals? Join host Andrew McCracken, Assistant Director of External Affairs and King's Fund colleagues, Sally Warren and Saoirse Mallorie, as we delve into the key debates in health and care in the lead up to the 2024 general election. Plus, we answer a listener question: 'is it sensible for political parties to commit to performance targets for the NHS?'. Want to get involved? Send us your general election questions via email (website@kingsfund.org.uk), LinkedIn or X (formerly known as Twitter) @TheKingsFund and your question might be featured in one of our episodes.

The countdown to the 2024 UK general election is now on. Join Andrew McCracken, Assistant Director of External Affairs and colleagues here at The King’s Fund for our new election podcast series. Over the next five weeks we'll be examining the key debates and exploring the big issues in health and care. We'll also be answering your listener questions and highlighting some of the important issues that are missing from the national debate. The first episode is coming soon, with new episodes dropping each week. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts. Want to get involved? Send us your general election questions via email (website@kingsfund.org.uk), LinkedIn or X (formerly known as Twitter) @TheKingsFund and your question might be featured in one of our episodes.

Ruth Robertson sits down with Dr Waheed Arian, who shares his journey of leaving Afghanistan as a refugee, becoming an NHS doctor and founding two organisations which use technology to overcome barriers in health care. In this episode, Waheed delves into the importance of hope, compassion and mentors during times of adversity. Related resources Digital health and care conference (in-person event) What is compassionate leadership? (explainer)

Ruth Robertson is joined by a panel of King's Fund experts to discuss the state of health and care in the context of a potential general election in 2024. Between the British Social Attitudes survey, the NHS staff survey and performance data, we have a lot of information to give us a view of the current health and social care landscape. We also discuss what the data doesn't show us and the need for long-term strategies to solve the health and care crisis. Related content Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2023: Results of the British Social Attitudes survey Beneath the surface: what does the 2023 NHS Staff Survey really tell us? The King's Fund's priorities for health and care at the next general election

How are community groups bridging some of the gaps between Black mothers and health and care services? What can the health and care system learn in response? Siva Anandaciva speaks to Amanda Smith, founder and Chief Executive of Maternity Engagement Action CIC, Benash Nazmeen, Professor of Midwifery and co-founder and co-director of the Association of South Asian Midwives CIC, and Chrissy Brown, founder and Chief Executive of the Motivational Mums Club CIC, to find out. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast, we've put together a list of organisations that can offer advice, information and support.

New year, new CEO for The King's Fund. In this episode host Jo Vigor sits down with Sarah Woolnough, who became our new chief executive at the end of 2023. Get to know Sarah as she shares her reflections on her career to date and the role of organisations like The King’s Fund in the health and care space.

In this episode, Ruth Robertson explores how the NHS elective care waiting list can be managed in a way that improves health equity with Dr Mark Ratnarajah, UK Managing Director at Precision Healthcare, Sharon Brennan, Director of Policy and External Affairs at National Voices and Dr Polly Mitchell, Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Bioethics and Public Policy at King’s College London. Related resources Tackling health inequalities on NHS waiting lists: learning from local case studies Waiting times for elective (non-urgent) treatment: referral to treatment (RTT)

What is anti-racism, and why is it important in the context of health and care? Jo Vigor sat down with Joy Warmington MBE, Chief Executive of the equalities and human rights charity brap, to find out. Joy explores the importance of forging genuine change beyond target setting and delves into her own journey of leading authentically and having the courage to do things differently. Related resources Open Wounds exhibition: Tottenham Rights in collaboration with The King’s Fund (event)Our work on discrimination and issues of equality and diversity within the health and care workforce (topic page)

What does the future of health and care look like from the perspective of three young leaders, and how can they help to shape that future? Join Jo Vigor as she speaks to Hannah McCaffery, Registered Manager at Richmond Fellowship, Rini Jones, Senior Policy and Research Manager at Marie Curie and Beth Sutherland, Senior Project Manager in the National Ambulance Team at NHS England. Related resource Those who dare: thinking differently about the health and care workforce (event)

How do you solve a problem like NHS workforce planning? Ruth Robertson speaks to Dr Navina Evans CBE about her leadership journey – from starting out as a psychiatrist, to becoming NHS England’s Chief Workforce and Training Education Officer – and the opportunities and challenges of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Definitions of the acronyms used Related resources The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan explained (long read)Train, retain, reform: does the NHS Long Term Plan provide a coherent map for the future? (blog)The King's Fund annual conference 2023: A health and care service fit for now and for the future (event)

Join us as we mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS. In this episode, Jo Vigor chats with fellow colleagues from The King’s Fund, Danielle Jefferies and Siva Anandaciva, about how the NHS has changed in its history, and what we can learn from other health systems around the world. Related resources How does the NHS compare to the health care systems of other countries? (report) The NHS then and now: a view from The King’s Fund’s archive (blog)Reflecting on 75 years since the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush (project page) Reflecting on 75 years of social care (project)

How can we ensure that health and care staff from all backgrounds feel respected, valued and listened to at work? Siva Anandaciva sits down with Karen Bonner, Chief Nurse at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, to talk about the value of having a diverse workforce, and how we can make the health and care system fairer for staff, patients, and communities from ethnic minority groups. Related resources Those who dare: thinking differently about the health and care workforce (event)Reflecting on 75 years since the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush (project page)You called and we came: Windrush and the NHS (exhibition)The health of people from ethnic minority groups in England (explainer)

Jo Vigor speaks to Karen and Yvette, a couple who beautifully demonstrate the varied and essential role that unpaid care work plays in many relationships. As they share their story we learn what support they currently receive, and what could make a positive difference. Later in the episode, Jo is joined by Deborah Fenney to talk about our recent research in this area. Related resources Caring in a complex world: perspectives from unpaid carers and the organisations that support them (report) Community-led approaches to health and wellbeing (event)

What is it like to be leading during this difficult and uncertain period for the NHS? Ruth Robertson sits down with Dr Fay Gilder, Medical Director of the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust and Matthew Rice, one of our senior leadership consultants, to find out. Join us for a conversation about leadership, vulnerability and self-care. Related resources What is compassionate leadership? (long read)The Circles programme speaker series (event) The Circles programme: leadership development for women (course)

Anna Charles speaks to Hilary Cottam OBE, internationally acclaimed social entrepreneur and author of Radical Help, about the importance of building new systems that are equipped to deal with the health challenges of today, and the need to foster ‘horizontal’ bonds between communities and public services. Related resources Lessons from the Wigan Deal (project)A citizen-led approach to health and care: Lessons from the Wigan Deal (report) Community-led approaches to health and wellbeing (event)The pivot: changing our relationship with the health system (blog)

Is the NHS really full of ‘overpaid pen pushers’? Jo Vigor talks to Dr Seema Srivastava, Deputy Medical Director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Emma Challans-Rasool, Founder and Chair of the Proud2bOps operational network and Director of Organisational Development, Culture and Talent at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System and Rachel Burnham, Director of Performance and Information at Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, about the critical role of NHS managers and what it means to bring your humanity to work. Related resources Leading well for staff health and wellbeing in the NHSTenth annual leadership and workforce summitWhat is compassionate leaderships?

What can data tell us about the health of our nation, and the state of the system meant to help us get better, and stay healthy? In this episode, Siva Anandaciva sits down with chief data reporter at the Financial Times, John Burn-Murdoch. Related resources The health policy year in review 2022 What's in store for health and care in 2023?

Is it possible to tackle climate change without further widening health inequalities? Jo Vigor speaks to Dr Dominique Allwood, Chief Medical Officer at UCL Partners and Director of Population Health at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, about her leadership journey, why clarity of mission is so important and the challenge of creating a sustainable and equitable health and care system. You can read the paper on anchor institutions mentioned by Dr Dominique Allwood in this episode on the Royal College of Physicians website. Related resources What are health inequalities?Health inequalities - from evidence to actionGetting to grips with climate change: how can the NHS get to net zero?

Anna Charles speaks to Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, Helen Barnard, Associate Director at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Marie Gabriel CBE, Chair of North East London Integrated Care System and Cormac Russell, Founding Director of Nurture Development, to find out how the cost-of-living crisis is impacting the nation’s health and wellbeing, and what the health and care system can do in response. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast, we've put together a list of organisations that can offer advice, guidance and support. Related resources Poverty and the health and care system: The role of data and partnership in bringing changeTime for action on poverty: practical steps for the NHS and its partnersThe NHS's role in tackling poverty

Stafford Scott talks about taking a 'constructively awkward' approach to community activism, how the NHS can become a ‘national hearing service,’ and challenges the next generation of leaders to embed themselves in communities and bring people together. Stafford is the Founder and Director of Tottenham Rights, a community-led initiative that addresses issues around social injustice and structural racial inequalities in Tottenham and beyond. Related content Open Wounds exhibition.