NHE Podcast

In our latest episode, we sit down with Andrew Cannon, CEO of Medica Group, to explore the transformative role of teleradiology in the NHS. Learn how Medica addresses diagnostic backlogs, maintains clinical excellence, and embraces innovative technologies to enhance patient safety. Don't miss this insightful discussion on the future of healthcare! Listen now to find out more about the challenges and innovations shaping the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the advent of virtual wards and telemedicine presents an exciting opportunity to reshape patient care within the NHS. With 40% of hospital beds occupied by patients who could potentially recover at home, the need for innovative solutions has never been more pressing. In our latest podcast episode, we bring together a panel of experts to discuss the transformative potential of these technologies and the challenges that lie ahead.Virtual wards serve as a remote monitoring platform that allows patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes. This model not only alleviates pressure on hospital resources but also empowers patients to take charge of their health. As Dr. Gurnak Singh Dosanj aptly points out, the focus must always remain on the patient and their journey. By prioritising patient needs, we can design services that truly cater to their requirements.However, implementing virtual care solutions is not without its challenges. Our panel highlights the importance of robust infrastructure and workforce training to ensure the success of these initiatives. Lee Gutcher emphasises the need for a tailored approach, as different NHS trusts may have varying levels of readiness and resources to support virtual care. This underscores the necessity for tech suppliers to provide flexible solutions that meet the unique needs of each organisation.Equally important is the role of public perception and acceptance. The panel discusses how many patients may be unfamiliar with virtual wards, often hearing about them for the first time when they are already in a state of crisis. To address this, we must promote awareness and understanding of these services, ensuring that patients feel comfortable and confident in their use. As Helen Hughes notes, effective communication and support systems are vital to bridging the digital divide and preventing health inequalities.Ultimately, our discussion reveals that virtual wards and telemedicine are not merely about reducing hospital admissions; they represent a fundamental shift towards patient-centred care. By leveraging technology to monitor health proactively, we can identify potential risks and intervene before patients deteriorate. This preventative approach not only enhances patient outcomes but also optimises healthcare resources.As we continue to explore the future of healthcare, it is clear that virtual wards and telemedicine will play a pivotal role in shaping a more efficient, effective, and compassionate NHS. Join us in this enlightening conversation and discover how these innovations can transform the way we approach patient care. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode 54 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Dr Rehan Hairdry, consultant gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic London, to speak about diagnostics, efficiencies, patient outcomes and more through the medium of oesophageal motility disorders.Dr Haidry explained how these disorders impact patients' quality of life and the knock-on effect on the NHS too. He also discussed some of the innovation happening at the Cleveland Clinic, specifically with something called the Endoflip.Outlining the benefits of this diagnostic technique, Dr Hairdry, said: “The first thing it improves is the patient experience because what can often be a prolonged and fragmented diagnostic journey is brought together. So, from a patient perspective it's great. They get an answer, they've got something to hang their hat on and then they know what they need doing.”He also explained the efficiencies and cost savings on offer for the wider health system. Listen to the full podcast to find out more about diagnostic efficiencies and health service savings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode 53 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by the Centre for Mental Health's CEO, Andy Bell, to speak about the government's approach to mental health and care, reforming the Mental Health Act, and how the short, medium and long-term future of the NHS looks.Speaking on some of the NHS's future plans and goals, Andy highlighted the importance of people being willing to change. The current service model is not going to be suitable forever, he added, in fact it does not even suit the population now – at least for certain groups of people.“That does have to shift and co-design is one way of doing that and indeed co-production of care,” he said. “We've seen many examples of the some of the most exciting ways of providing mental health support over the last few years have been developed within communities.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode 52 of the National Health Executive podcast we were joined by National Voices' CEO, Jacob Lant, to talk about the first weeks of the new government, his relationship so far with health secretary Wes Streeting, how Lord Darzi's report should land, and the way forward for the third sector.Speaking on what he wants to see over the course of this parliament, Jacob said: “A bit more forensic analysis on who is waiting longer – we know from previous research that it tends to be people living in the poorest communities in the country who wait longer, it tends to be ethnic minority individuals, it tends to be women, [and] people with disabilities.”Helping people wait better and being smarter about those experiencing the worst outcomes is critical for Jacob.He added that the biggest thing that charities can help the NHS with is being that connection into the community and the organisations that National Voices represents are not there to deliver services “on the cheap” but in fact to be a strategic partner.Listen to the full episode to hear Jacob thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode 51 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Dr Dan Rose, who is the medical director for UK and Ireland at Everlight Radiology, to explore the radiology workforce crisis, what solutions can be put in place to address the issues, and whether teleradiology can be the future for the sector.On flexible working, Dan said that it is a key recommendation from the royal college that was accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic.He added: “The additional benefits that brings is that it's a recognition that the old ways of working – globally, not just in medicine, not just in radiology, but globally – have undergone a sea change essentially. Colleagues are much more aware of the ability to be able to work flexibly.”Listen to the full podcast to learn more about how teleradiology and Everlight Radiology are creating a more sustainable workforce, the ‘follow the sun' model' and the three key takeaways for listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode 50 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Dr Nicky Huskens, CEO at the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, to talk about everything from some of the recent investment being funnelled into the sector, to hopes for the future with the new Labour government.Some of the funding includes the next stage in the government's £40m pledge to develop new lifesaving research. That pledge was made by the previous Conservative government – on collaboration with the new government, Dr Huskens said: “I've spoken with the [DHSC] team before they came into power and they are big fans of the mission-led approach and the work that the brain tumour community has been doing“I think going forward, in the first instance, will be working together with the civil servants to launch those three calls – the HP call, the consortium, the care call – and to do that really well and engage the community to participate. From there, I would say the sky is the limit!”Listen to the full podcast to hear Dr Huskens' thoughts on improving best practice sharing, the state of the neuro-oncology workforce, the importance of data in the sector, and more.

For Episode 49 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by David Hemming, who is service lead for major programmes at NHS Shared Business Services. We spoke to David before our Estates online conference, where he featured on our Building the Hospitals of the Future panel.We asked him about the NHS estate, Hospital 2.0, and the New Hospital Programme (NHP)—right before chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a pause to the NHP so it could undergo a “complete rest”.“Many people are aware of the NHP, [but] there are different levels of understanding of what its actually going to deliver—there is still quite a lot of work to actually get that level of communication and stakeholder engagement out.”He continued: “Part of this is [that] I'm bringing my knowledge of NHP. Do I have a complete and full knowledge of the NHP? I would say ‘no' because it's such a large programme—there are many different elements, but I'm also keen to understand, from other people's perspective, what is their perception of the NHP [and] where do they think there are issues because that helps my understanding.” Knowing this can help NHS SBS modify their service offering.Listen to the full podcast to hear David's thoughts and stay tuned for National Health Executive's next magazine edition for what the NHP pause could mean for the health system.

For episode 48 of the National Health Executive podcast, we spoke to award-winning and internationally acclaimed broadcaster and journalist, Pete Price, about his life and experience with aversion therapy on the NHS. This episode contains explicit language and strong viewsIn the podcast, we explored how aversion therapy ties in with conversion therapy and what the Bill that has been making its way through parliament since last year means for the LGBTQ+ community and society as a whole.Notably, the Bill was included in the King's Speech this month, as it seems Sir Keir Starmer intends to press ahead with banning conversion practices.“First of all, conversion therapy: I knew nothing about,” said Pete. “It's reared its ugly head a few times, I've been on television and talked about it. Conversion therapy is where they brainwash you; aversion therapy is what they did to me, so that's what we're going to be talking about.”In the podcast, Pete discusses his childhood, family and the period of time he spent in a ‘hospital' undergoing aversion therapy.He explained: “Growing up was very difficult for me because at the age of 12 I discovered I was a homosexual and didn't understand it, didn't know what it was about — all I knew was my pals were all going out with girls and I wasn't.“I wasn't attracted to girls but I went out with girls, so I fought my sexuality; growing up I fought my sexuality because, in those days, I was a criminal — it was against the law to be a homosexual!”

For episode 47 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Sue Holden, the CEO at the Advancing Quality Alliance — otherwise known as Aqua.Sue spoke about her leadership philosophy, where that mindset comes from and the epiphanies she's had while working in the NHS.She said: “We can focus on the ‘what' and forget the ‘how' is where the magic happens, so — from my point of view — I've had the privilege to work with a lot of organisations in various different guises.“Certainly when I was working with trusts that were really challenged, not one of those organisations didn't have magic in it, didn't have a brilliant service, didn't have a team that was going above and beyond, and didn't have people that were doing exciting things.”There were also small pockets that needed support and the mark of a good leader is fostering an environment that enables the people who are struggling to access the help they need, explained Sue.Sue also highlighted the four times in her career she has had an epiphany or “things that have really sat me back on my heels and made me rethink my own perspective” as she puts it.“The first one was when I was a student nurse — that was back in the 80s...”Listen to the full podcast to hear Sue's insights and the pivotal moments in her career.

In Episode 46 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Trish Greenhalgh, who is a professor of primary care health sciences at the University of Oxford, as well as a former GP.Trish offered insight into how the primary care digital transformation journey is going, specifically since the explosion of innovation observed following the pandemic.Trish highlighted some of the recent research she has been doing in general practices looking at digitalised aspects of care that have in fact impacted disadvantaged people negatively, widening already existing health inequalities.“The pandemic was a pretty big shock,” said Trish when explaining some of the theory around external shocks speeding up the innovation process.She added: “We had to immediately, or in the space of a fortnight-three weeks, shift general practice from a face-to-face model to a remote model and I think it is one of the major achievements of general practice in this country that we did that — we did it really quickly and we did it effectively.“We responded to the shock, and then the question is, ‘Well hang on a minute, what do we do now?'”Listen in full to learn more about government priorities, co-design and more.

For episode 45 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Nathalie Kingston, who is the director the National Institute for Health and Care Research BioResource.Nathalie explained everything from the inner workings of the BioResource and the UK's research ecosystem, all the way to women in science and the NIHR's inclusion strategy.On three things to remember, she said: “Make sure to listen to members of the public – their views are key. Also make sure we don't lose sight of the fact we are safeguarding public data.”To hear all of Nathalie's insight, listen to the full podcast 

For episode 44 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Tom Bell, who has held management roles in the public, private and third sector – working specifically with the NHS in digital, telehealth and now as a patient safety partner.Tom offered his insight into what patient safety actually means for the NHS, the make-up of the NHS when it comes to patient safety, how data can factor into decision-making, and what the future could/should look like.“The lack of data in the NHS is criminal – if I wind you back through the mists of time, when I worked for Carlsberg at the turn of the century, we had access to lots of data about lots of things,” explained Tom.He continued: “I could sit at my desk and download, in almost real time, who'd bought what, which accounts were up, which accounts were down, which were in profit etc. – that data was there. That was a company, albeit a large company and very well-run company, that was selling sugary alcoholic liquid…“When I came into the NHS a number of years later, I remember saying to my director of strategy, ‘Where's the dashboard I can access?' and he looked at me as if I was speaking Swahili.”Listen to the full podcast to learn more about the possibilities for the NHS.

For episode 43 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Dr Penny Kechagioglou, who is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Penny spoke about the main challenges and opportunities in cancer care at the moment, as well as how should prevention factor in to policy decisions and the needs of the oncology workforce.Penny said: “How do we strive for excellence? Not just good. There are three points here, so looking upstream – there is a lot of work happening that needs to be consistent across primary and secondary care, when it comes to prevention.”Listen to the full episode to hear Penny's thoughts and get a sneak peek of National Health Executive's upcoming digital magazine, where Penny will detail the Charter for Oncology.

In episode 42 of the National Health Executive podcast we were joined by Steve Gulati who is an associate professor at the University of Birmingham as well as director of healthcare leadership at the university's Health Services Management Centre.During the podcast, we discussed the difference between leadership when he first joined the NHS in the 90s and to now, plus the main levers for these changes. Steve also highlighted the ‘well-known truths' about NHS leadership which are seldom voiced as well as what changes he would like to see in the future.“Leadership in those days was almost synonymous with management – it certainly wasn't [like] the nuanced distinctions that you get today,” said Steve. “Allied to that, there was a concept that was more prominent of what I would call ‘stewardship' rather than leadership.”

In episode 41 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Dr Angela Smith, research fellow at Bournemouth University, and Andy Oakey, research fellow at the University of Southampton, to discuss the viability of drones within the NHS transport system.Angela and Andy talked about some of the misinformation about drones and suggested that drone travel is not quite ready for the NHS yet.Angela said: “The eDrone project has been focused on NHS case studies, but what we have found is that the reporting around these case studies – the trials in particular – has led to some misconceptions about what the trials are achieving and the future benefits of drones.”Andy explained: “If you actually look back at our project bids, we were sucked into this rhetoric of drones being the next big thing. The original idea was to look at where's best to use them [drones], with a positive spin, but as we have gone into it we have learnt more and understood how there is a lot more than meets the eye.”

In episode 40 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Lee Carpenter, who is the head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB).During the podcast, Lee explained what the UK Stem Cell Bank is and the significance of its work, what its future holds and some of the opportunities in the world of stem cell research.Speaking on how big a role automation will play in the future of the stem cell field, Lee said: “I think it is going to be fairly critical. We can see the manufacturing of stem cells is hugely labour-intensive, it is expensive too.”Lee goes onto explain how automation can widen patient access and eliminate human errors. Listen to the full podcast to hear more of Lee's thoughts on the future of stem cells.

In episode 39 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Anthony Painter, who is the director of policy at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), to discuss all things management within the UK health sector and NHS.During the podcast, Anthony shared some of the recent research CMI conducted in partnership with the Social Market Foundation, which centred around the state of management and leadership within the NHS.Anthony said: “One thing that was found [in the report] was that 27% of managers in the NHS think that the leadership in their organisation is not effective.This is obviously very worrying, according to Anthony – especially because “research shows that, if you have above average leadership and management in your organisation, you're far more likely, or three times more likely, to be a highly performing NHS organisation than if you have a less than average level”.Anthony also discusses some of the calls for regulation of managers within the NHS, what makes a good NHS manager, and how senior leaders can go about recruiting the right way.

In episode 38 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by divisional director at Rental+, Jon Steward, to discuss one of the foundational elements of any good health setting.Rental+ offers the NHS cutting-edge foodservice and refrigeration equipment using a unique rental model.Elaborating on the differences between this model and a typical procurement process, Jon explained: “First of all you just pay a monthly fee for the equipment; second of all, it is inclusive of service and maintenance – this is why the NHS loves this solution, because it reduces their capital outlay and gives them a fixed cost.”This gives senior health leaders the peace of mind that sudden or hidden expenditures won't wreak havoc with pre-determined budgets. A third point is that Rental+ guarantee the equipment will be working all the time.Jon went onto say: “For healthcare executives considering Rental+, my key advice would be to view this as, not just a service, but as a partnership. We've worked with the NHS for so long – we're not just a solution provider, we're an extension of the trusts that we work with.”Listen to the full podcast episode to hear more about how the NHS can benefit.

In episode 37 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by the former chair of the National Institute for Health and Car Excellence, Sir David Haslam, to discuss the current state of the NHS and whether it needs to be rebooted.During the podcast, David discussed the piece he and David Pendleton, professor of leadership at Henley Business School, authored for the National Health Executive magazine, where he argues that the UK health sector needs to focus its financial support on bolstering primary care and community care on the one side, and social care on the other.David said: “We came up with this vision: if you think of the health system like a bookshelf, you've got the hospitals as the big books on the shelf, but if your bookends aren't working effectively then everything tumbles down. And the bookends at one end are primary care; the other end is social care.“If both of those aren't supported then the whole system is going to fall apart.”Listen to the full podcast to hear David's thoughts on prevention, the UK's health spending and more about how leaders can rebalance the NHS for the future.

In episode 36 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Omnicell's UK professional services director, Ed Platt, to discuss interoperability in the NHS, practical examples of where it can be leveraged best, the importance of the health service's digital transformation journey and more.During the podcast, Ed discussed Omnicell's provenance and how the mismanagement of medical supplies led to the company's founding in 1992, which, to this day, galvanises them to continuously deliver innovations that help improve the standard of care in hospitals.When asked about how Omnicell started, Ed explained: “That story is about our CEO, Randall Lipps… he was in hospital, his daughter was being treated and he was stood there and noticed that the clinicians were looking for the products – I think catheters and some other items – but they couldn't find them.“He then went off to his garage and started developing the first automated dispensing cabinet, brought that to market in 1992 and now we have over 2000 systems in the UK.“That story, that observation, still stands true today.”To listen to more about Omnicell's founding principles, how they are already helping the NHS and how they can further support the UK health sector, listen to the full podcast above.

In episode 35 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Professor Durka Dougall who is the chair of The Health Creation Alliance and Dr Andy Knox who is Associate Medical Director at Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.In the episode we spoke about population health, population health management, public health, health inequalities and everything in between. We also went into how all of the aforementioned phrases factor into combatting health inequalities.The podcast explores how both guests first entered this particular part of the health sector and their passion behind it.Dr Knox discusses the epiphany he had while working as a GP that allowed him to think differently and enter a role leadership role where he helped engage local communities in thinking more about their own health.Prof Dougall also discusses her exasperation at the lack of progress on the health inequalities front despite widespread acknowledgement of the presence of avoidable issues.Listen to the full podcast for more.

In Episode 34 of the National Health Executive podcast, we are joined by NHS England's national clinical director for infection, antimicrobial resistance and deterioration, Dr Matt Inada-Kim, to discuss whether the pandemic is really over, how the NHS has learnt from Covid-19 and what the NHS needs to do to prepare for the next global health incident.Dr Inada-Kim said: “Whilst technically it [the pandemic] might be over in terms of the numbers, certainly from a Covid perspective, we're very much still in maelstrom of the effects of it – particularly the backlog.“But it's not just catching up on the elective work in terms of surgery, operations or appointments but it's also a backlog of preventative and chronic disease management that I don't think we were optimally able to provide during the lockdown.”Dr Inada-Kim went onto explain how he believes the health service needs a “sea change” to ensure patients are cared for in the right place and not just the most convenient one as well as highlighting the need to make use of industry partnerships to further accelerate the “ explosion of digital tech”.He also went on to note need for better “measurement” in terms of how the NHS benchmarks quality and safety of care against both itself and other health systems.“A lot of our initiatives appear to be focused around avoiding work – reducing activity, avoiding an admission, avoiding an attendance, reducing general practice appointments for instance – [but] we also need, with 50% of our energy, to be focusing on quality of care, the safety of care [and] ensuring outcomes for patients remain at the very forefront of everything we do.”

In Episode 33 of the National Health Executive (NHE) podcast, we spoke to Dr Matt Harris who is a clinical senior lecturer in public health at Imperial College London and Dr Nav Chana who is the former chair of the National Association of Primary Care.They told us about a scheme imported from Brazil that uses community health workers to increase NHS health checks, enhance cancer screening numbers and drive immunisation.Dr Harris said: “What was interesting about the way in which they [Brazil] deployed their community health workers was that there was a very efficient and effective system that has scaled nationally and is actually the biggest publicly-provided, taxpayer-funded, free-at-the-point-of-use primary care system in the world now – they have 275,000 community health workers!”Dr Harris went onto explain what was so unique about the way Brazil uses their community health workers citing their intimate knowledge of their community, how they are paid full time and the catchment areas they are responsible for.Dr Harris and Dr Chana then explained the attitudes around learning from countries like Brazil and how they need to change.

In episode 32 of National Health Executive's (NHE) Finger on the Pulse podcast, I was joined by Health Education England's Chief Digital and Information Officer, James Freed, to discuss how he got into the healthcare industry, what the word ‘digital' actually means for the NHS and why most digital initiatives fail.During the podcast, James said: “The biggest reason why digital projects fail – and 70% of them do – is [because of] cultural issues. And the biggest cultural issue is the breakdown between different siloes and this most often manifests when you give someone a really nice piece of kit and they do their job they've always done [but] just using a digital tool instead. Which often adds more time, creates more harm and doesn't realise in adding more value.”In addition to more commentary on the topic of digital, James notes how the NHS has created a governance process where it is not ok to fail, meaning everything assumes success. James believes a change of direction is needed on this front and that we need to establish governance routes that assume and allow for failure as long as it is caught quickly. Listen to full episode of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast with James Freed above.

For episode 31 of National Health Executive's (NHE) Finger on the Pulse podcast, I was joined by University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust's Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Development, David Jones, to discuss everything from the ongoing industrial action, funding, some of the research he is doing and his three wishes for the NHS.David said: “As a manager, I obviously uphold the right of people to strike and, on this occasion, I fully understand and appreciate why the NHS is currently striking. I know that there's a lot of focus on nurses and junior doctors at the moment, however we've also got to remember that this is across the board – it's all colleagues such as estates, facilities, IT etc. – that have received below inflation pay rates.”To make the NHS a more attractive employer, David believes the health service needs to be more flexible in how it renumerates its staff, especially against the backdrop of the private sector. He also thinks the NHS should improve the way people move through the various pay grades, drawing specific attention to how some managers have to wait nearly five years to get a pay rise that isn't just inflationary.Listen to the full episode of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast with David Jones above.

On Episode 30 of National Health Executive's (NHE) Finger of the Pulse podcast, our host Louis Morris is joined by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine's President, Adrian Boyle, to discuss what the actual problem with patient waiting times is.Adrian explained: "The problem we've got is we're not able to look after people properly, who come into type 1 Emergency Departments and get stuck on trollies for long periods of time. This means that then the Ambulance Service isn't able to offload them and we're seeing this all over the press at the moment."When we say 'Demand management is not the problem' that's true because the big problem is actually the flow [of patients] through the Emergency Departments and that's because we just don't have enough beds in our hospitals and we don't use our beds as efficiently as we could."[Bed blocking] is the single biggest part of this [patient waiting times] problem. In December, we recorded almost the very highest level of hospital bed occupancy that we've ever seen."Adrian believes that encouraging people to just make better choices about what they do or launching public health campaigns to stop people from going to Emergency Departments won't fix the problem."We need to try and introduce the concept of different queues..."Listen to the full episode of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast with Adrian Boyle above.

With the brunt of winter fast upon us, and the flurry of increased demand that has followed, the NHS is drawing upon all its nous and creativity to see how it can generate efficiencies and optimise patient pathways.With that in mind, National Health Executive sat down with three leading industry voices to discuss how we can arrest the backlog and keep patients flowing in and out of the door this winter. CommunicationOne of the more notable things that was addressed during our discussion was the necessity of not just communication but effective communication – that doesn't just apply to patients either, it also includes colleagues and sector partners too.Sue Moore, the Director for Outpatient Recovery and Transformation at NHS England suggested that by collaborating with the NHS's various regional bodies, Primary Care, the Royal Colleges, and sector providers, the healthcare industry has an opportunity to identify what ‘best practice' is – or, at the very least, what best practice is not.This is one of the “key areas” being focused on by biopharmaceutical research and development experts AbbVie, according to its Head of Medical Affairs for Immunology, Rachael Millward.She said: “One of the key areas that we are trying to establish is how do we, as an organisation, partner better with the NHS?”Because it is only through that communication and collaboration with providers and stakeholders that the health sector can establish what best practice – the best practice that will help serve the seven million people who are currently waiting for treatment.One of the best examples that was mentioned was Super September, where providers are given the chance to trial small initiatives and ideas that might help expedite treatment pathways.What Sue and her colleagues at NHS England found was that, during the two-week period in which the Super September scheme ran, over 66,000 more patients were seen and “significant” inroads were made into the lists housing the very longest waiters.Sue explained: “Some people did some work on Did Not Attends, some people did work on the validation of lists and asking patients if they still wanted or needed that appointment, there was work on looking at how clinics are constructed and the templates [they used] – a whole range of things.”But the question is, how do we take initiatives like Super September and scale them up? How do we ensure the best and most effective methods are adopted nationally? Because as is said a lot in this industry, and indeed many times during our discussion, there isn't one thing that is going to solve everything; there is no panacea for patient backlog and treatment pathways – one size does not fit all.The answer: That word again – communication.One of the first things Sue noted on the podcast was what the Outpatient and Recovery Programme is focusing on. Two of those things were ensuring that patients see the value of even going to an appointment in the first place and the other centred around exploring and developing the idea of creating clinical environments where patients, who are medically suitable, can initiate their own follow-up appointments. Or in other words a patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU).The key to achieving success in both those areas goes hand-in-hand – by empowering patients and seeing them more “as a partner”, as Rob Music the CEO of The Migraine Trust alluded to, the health sector can help patients see the value of appointments and give them more ownership over their care.By doing this, and providing patients with the requisite education around the relevant diseases, clinicians can help the public optimise their own treatment pathways and reduce delays and waiting times. TechnologyGuidance around how best to implement PIFUs was released by NHS England back in May 2022; the document detailed everything from how many specialities to start up with and what specialities are even suitable, all the way to the benefits and potential pitfalls of this method of care.This is also something AbbVie have been able to help other providers with. Rachael explained that when they collaborated with some rheumatology services and explored the potential of PIFUs, a lot of services said they still needed help developing and then establishing their PIFUs. She said: “It became very clear to us that we needed to help services connect together, so that they could understand what the pitfalls are, what the hurdles are, and what are the things you need to consider in order to set up a PIFU service that would be successful, whilst also mitigating some of the challenges.”It was then flagged how a lot of “myth busting” needs to be done around PIFUs and how some staff's notion that they would be overwhelmed by an avalanche of triggered appointments isn't actually true – or doesn't necessarily need to be true.As long as you have the right technological infrastructure in place, implementing successful, effective, and efficient PIFUs is “not that difficult to do,” according to Sue.Sue explained: “There needs to be a really effective tracking mechanism to enable patients to trigger an appointment, if they meet the criteria. But similarly for the clinical team to know that a patient has triggered an appointment.”Sue added: “For me, this is about confident patients, clinical leadership, and being really respectful that not one model fits all.”In support of that mantra, Sue's Outpatient Recovery and Transformation Programme worked in conjunction with the Getting It Right First Time team to produce outpatient guidance for the top 10 by-volume specialties that identifies, by subspecialty, which people would be suitable for PIFUs and which people would not.Sue commented: “It collates all the best practice guidance of really where you start, and what we've said on an individual basis is we're very happy to support and make the connections for people to do that.” Final thoughtsRachael Millward·         There isn't one thing that is going to solve everything – it will be a range of different factors and measures that combine to achieve the desired outcome.·         But we also need to be clear on what those desired outcomes are and understanding that patients present in very complex ways.·         PIFU and education around things like remote monitoring will be a key part of that solution. Sue Moore·         Providers need look at the entire pathway when exploring innovations and they need to employ an enthusiastic approach and drive themselves forward to implement the necessary change.·         Communicate, collaborate, and congratulate.·         Use technology for the right reasons and when it is necessary, rather than for the sake of it. Rob Music·         More people need to be trained as specialist GPs and nurses, drawing upon some of the best practice in the community.·         Better leadership from ICSs in terms of their service design and how patients interact and flow through their services, based on the intimate understanding of each area.·         Establish a named lead in each area who reviews the needs, performance, and output of each service.

In this episode of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast our host, Saskia Hicking, speaks with Dr Giles Yeo,a Geneticist at Cambridge University and Dr Stephanie De Giorgio, a General Practitioner, about the stigmas that surround obesity and why we as a society suffer, not only physically, but also mentally with the affects of being overweight. Whilst our guests look to help raise awareness and educate health professionals on how to correctly treat and talk to obese patients, we delve into the solutions our healthcare system could adopt to abolish obesity stigma.

In this episode of Finger on the Pulse, NHE's Saskia Hicking spoke to Alex Church, programme lead at Norfolk and Waveney CCG about some of the ways his group are preparing for the introduction of the ICS and how he thinks this new way of working combined with digital technology will help to create a better care system for all.

On Episode 26 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, host Matt Roberts is joined by Jon Constantine-Smith, Managing Director of Bluetree Medical, to discuss how the organisation adapted it's manufacturing line to produce face masks for the NHS, and why it has now become a long-term direction for the business.

On episode 25 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast our host Saskia Hicking spoke to Anne Cooper, former Chief Nurse for NHS Digital about the benefits and drawbacks of implementing technology and digital within the NHS.

“What we've got to do is look at what is the impact of having a wound infection, or a surgical site infection, on the patient, on the doctor and the healthcare professionals, as well as the economic burden within the NHS.”As somebody who has become highly knowledgeable on these what these impacts of a surgical site infection (SSI) are, it is why Giles Bond-Smith is so passionate around improving the processes and attention paid to it within the NHS.The Emergency General/HPB surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust joined host Matt Roberts on NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast discussing some of the challenges commonly faced around this type of infection prevention, but also the opportunities to innovate as well.“We should be doing everything possible to look at how we can mitigate surgical site infections for our patients.“Typically, as surgeons, we don't really pay much attention to our wounds, but the patients do. How does a patient judge whether an operation went well or not? They look down at their wound; they see how big it was.“If the wound is less in size than the wound is in their mind, they think we've done well. If the wound heals beautiful, people show it and say the operation went very well.“Whereas, if someone's had a complete wound dehiscence due to infection, they feel the operation was a disaster. Now, it might not have been, but that's how the patient perceives it, and we've got to take this more seriously.”But how do we tackle surgical site infections and ensure the wounds can heal neatly, safely and quickly for the patient?One of the ways, as Giles explains during the podcast episode, is to look at some of the really simple but innovative technology out there – such as the antibacterial Ethicon PLUS sutures he and his team uses – as ways to improve patient outcomes without having to drastically alter the way in which these surgeries are performed.Much of the success instead can come from small, incremental gains in the procedures, awareness and tools being utilised by surgeons.Listen to Ep 24. of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast with Giles Bond-Smith 

For patients will all types of conditions, the pandemic has led to significant challenges around their care, with treatment backlogs and elevated risks from the virus. However, particularly for those with long-term conditions, there has been notable disruption to their regular care, with stakeholders from across all aspects of the healthcare required to play a role in the recovery.Speaking with consultant rheumatologist and Chair of the British Society of Rheumatology's Clinical Affairs Committee, Dr Elizabeth Macphie, and Todd Manning, General Manager at AbbVie UK, the scale of the challenge before us is vast, but spread disproportionately from service to service, and specialty to specialty. This has created unique challenges, but equally opportunities to innovate around the care being provided, to meet the local needs and desires of these services' patients.Dr Macphie, who alongside her BSR role is a consultant rheumatologist based in Preston within a community rheumatology service as part of an integrated musculoskeletal (MSK) service, explains: “I've come into this with the local knowledge of what's happened to our service as a result of the pandemic and how things have changed, but [myself and colleagues] have also been listening to that national voice of what is happening to colleagues and departments up and down the country.“We're recognising that rheumatology services are very different, and the impact of services has been quite varied.“How these services are now getting back to the ‘new normal' as we hear being talked about so often, is again very different for services up and down the country.“With respect to the NHS restart, I've always wanted to look at the positives. The pandemic has resulted in huge changes across the NHS, with lots of activity put on hold, but I think the change that has happened within the NHS [around new mindsets] needs recognition.“Particularly for services dealing with patients with long-term conditions, there has been so many situations where there were lots of discussions happening before the pandemic about where remote consultations fit [in the offering] for these patients. The pandemic has pressed the fast-forward button on all of that.“It has meant we've all had to adapt to new ways of working very rapidly, and now we must capture those new models of care.”But responsibility for those building those improvements in services doesn't just fall on the clinicians' shoulders. Rather, all those involved in health have a role to play; with AbbVie's Todd Manning adding: “We believe very strongly that we have a responsibility to healthcare systems in the UK and around the world to play a really active role in the recovery coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, to the same level we believe we played during the acute phase of the pandemic.“We have a specialisation in medicines and vaccines, but we also have a wealth of expertise in developing initiatives and tools which can help support the efficient and optimised deliver of care for patients, through existing and new channels.“We [equally] have a broad network which we can utilise, bringing stakeholders together to stimulate debate around key issues that are affecting patients. In these types of ways, I think that we can play a role beyond the rules that our medicines can play to help the NHS recover as quickly as possible for patients.”But, for all of the want to spark discussion and collaboration, what do some of the new ways of working and innovative approaches which the likes of Todd and Dr Macphie are championing look like?One recent aspect of research conducted by AbbVie was based around better understanding the impact of Covid-19 on these patients with long-term conditions, helping to understand and qualify the scale of the issue. Evidence showing a sharp drop in GP appointments, referrals and outpatient appointments were not surprising to them, Todd explains, but did demonstrate the concerning breadth of the situation.For example, using modelling techniques, there was estimated to be a staggering 124,000 patients who may have had some kind of misdiagnosis of their conditions.Importantly, as a caveat, many of these have not been given final incorrect diagnoses, but rather saw the pandemic limit further discovery, testing or appointments which might have revealed a different condition. Other patients, due to delays in treatment, have been left without a diagnosis, with many – particularly those with long-term conditions – likely to present in the future with more severe instances of their disease, having more complex care needs and potentially requiring more invasive or potent treatments.Getting the response right will directly impact these patients. As Todd emphasises: “These are patients whose lives are going to benefit from the way the NHS responds.“There is clear evidence that the earlier you treat the disease, the better outcomes that you have in the long term. So there is a risk [regardless of the pandemic] but we may see more individuals presenting with more severe forms of a condition – like rheumatoid arthritis, for example – than we would have pre-pandemic.”And one important, potentially significant way of improving the treatment provided to those patients is to involve them more extensively in their own care decisions; often utilising a method known as shared decision making. That way, for those with long-term conditions, they are choosing models of care which best meet the needs and aspects of their life which matter most to them.As Dr Macphie describes: “I think shared decision making is absolutely pivotal to any sort of healthcare professional conversation.“One of the things that we see is the ethos behind moving from that paternalistic view of medicine where, as the doctor we know best, to this concept of shared decision making that is now well-embedded, particularly in the care of long-term conditions.”Suddenly, by taking a conscious effort to involve the patient within the decision making process around their condition – particularly when most treatment plans involving long-term conditions are related to mitigation rather than curing the disease – the quality of that consultation increases, the clinician is able to provide more effective and efficient care by getting straight to addressing the root concerns which matter most to the patient, and there is a more positive experience had by the patient too.“It is about recognising that we don't lose some of the GAME we've had with making sure patients are involved in shared decision making.“The other aspect is making sure that patients are provided with options in such a way that they realise the full breadth of what is available to them. Sometimes, I think it's very difficult, as a consultant, to say to patients that one of the options is that we don't do anything.“Yet, one of the things I've learned over the years as a consultant is that, actually, it's very helpful sometimes to be very open and honest with the patient. To let them know that is an option.“It puts clinicians in a safe zone to say, ‘Look, I'm here to help guide you through the choices available to you' and quite often some patients will come back and say ‘What do you advise? You're the specialist, what is your advice?' and I think if you're very open and honest to patients, that there is a number of options, when they put that question to you, you can then assess them with [a level of trust].“But it does take a lot of confidence. I think it is something you really have to work on as a clinician. You have to be in the right mindset to be able to have those discussion with patients. We all benefit from ongoing learning in this area, and I think it is one of the things that a collaboration with industry can help with because it is something [which can improve services] across all specialties.”It was a statement echoed by Todd too, with AbbVie UK's General Manager saying: “For shared decision making to work, you need a really dedicated clinician, a person that is going to share all of the options with the patient, and you need a willing patient for it to work too.“But when it does, it has been shown that those patients who do take an active role and take responsibility for the decisions affecting their care have more positive outcomes.“Shared decision making [and giving patients this opportunity to take responsibility for their care] is something that we're particularly passionate about.“Pre-pandemic, I think shared decision making was quite focused on the treatment pathway, whereas post-pandemic in the recovery phase, it's about the treatment pathway, but also about the development of care services and how that will develop into the future.”There will be a lot of changes in the near future in healthcare as we restore services and rebuild capacity, but there are also opportunities to reimagine some of our traditional ways of working, to increase the quality and efficiency of care, and to empower patients and clinicians alike. Shared decision making, particularly around long-term conditions, seems to be one of the opportunities of real growth we're already seeing benefits from.

What leads to a digital healthcare solution being adopted?Every situation is unique across the healthcare service, but often these innovations span out of some of the simplest of circumstances. For Open Medical's Innovation Director, Piyush Mahapatra, he remembers the instance of a cleaner accidentally wiping down a whiteboard which had been used to track orthopaedic patients. A momentary lapse in the system, which presented a sudden challenge and an opportunity for a digital alternative.“I'm a practising orthopaedic surgeon in London, and an NHS clinical entrepreneur.“Most patients who have surgery for broken bones within the NHS are often managed on systems such as Excel sheets, Word documents or physical whiteboards.“In our particular organisation, it was a physical whiteboard and, we came in one weekend and the cleaner had rubbed the whiteboard off.“After that, version one [of our trauma digital solution] was created. It was a fairly simple database system at that point, designed to help manage those lists of patients in a better way.“Since then, things have really moved on [at Open Medical]. We became a cloud native platform in 2017, and things really escalated. Now, we're helping about 70 NHS trusts around the country manage their patients.“We've got over a million patients on our systems today.Through Open Medical, Piyush and the team have been able to leverage their own personal clinical experiences to develop a solution which addresses a significant need felt in the NHS, with patient management, pathways, and efficiencies. It has been built to address a need Piyush and his colleagues themselves feel in their regular NHS roles, and allows the team to talk clinically with partners, as well as technologically.“One of the things that I tell everyone is that I use [our Open Medical system] when I'm working clinically. We all use our systems quite a lot.“We get a real understanding of what it is like to utilise the platform, so if things are not user-friendly or don't work as well as they should, we can adapt and change them.“We can get that feeling if something doesn't provide the functionality clinicians need, because we see it from that perspective too.” 

On Episode 21 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, host Matt Roberts is joined by Matt Inada-Kim, Irem Patel and Catherine Dale to discuss how pulse oximetry was identified and scaled out during the pandemic to support the pandemic response. Matt, Irem and Catherine offer a range of different perspective, brought together by the Health Innovation Network South London.

On Episode 20 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, Dr Shanti Vijayaraghavan of Barts Health NHS Trust and Will Warburton, Director of Improvement at the Health Foundation, join host Matt Roberts to discuss the innovative work on video consultations that Shanti and her team have been carrying out for a number of years in Newham, in London.

On Episode 19 of NHE’s Finger on the Pulse podcast, host Matt Roberts is joined by Annie Laverty, Chief Experience Officer at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and Will Warburton, Director of Improvement at the Health Foundation, discussing an innovative ‘Corona Voice’ staff wellbeing programme being ran at the trust.Annie explained: “Looking after your workforce is really important. It makes sense from a human perspective, as you want to hold onto good staff.“The NHS relies on the goodwill of people being deeply committed to a purpose to provide the best care to patients, but we know that providing that care sometimes comes at a cost to individuals.“NHS organisations need to do all that they can to protect staff wellbeing because we know that it is inextricably linked to the care that patients receive, and also the safety and reliability of those organisations.”The trust’s Corona Voice programme came out of a project being undertaken before the pandemic, to provide more up-to-date data and staff feedback to the trust and which allowed Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT, alongside support from Will and the Health Foundation team, to expand the scope of the project and better understand and support their trust colleagues through the challenges of dealing with Covid-19 and hospital care.Listen to the full episode of NHE’s Finger on the Pulse podcast with Annie and Will above.

Dr Anshumen Bhagat, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of GPDQ - alongside continuing to be a practicing NHS GP - joined us on episode 18 of NHE’s Finger on the Pulse podcast, talking us through primary care, its challenges over the last 12 months and his visions for its future. We talk difficulties, solutions and ambitions in this insightful episode of the podcast.

Matt Roberts sat down with Antonis Papasolomontos, Director of External Affairs, AbbVie, Rachel Power, Chief Executive, Patients Association and David Pilbury, Lead Physiotherapist & Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Pennine MSK Partnership to discuss shared decision making on Episode 17 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast

On Episode 16 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, host Matt Roberts is joined by SilverCloud Health's Head of Europe Dr Lloyd Humphreys as we discuss mental health, Covid-19 and digital mental health services. As a leading digital mental health service provider, SilverCloud Health saw a significant uptick in people using their digital mental health service; was that anticipated, and what are the implications longer-term?

On Episode 15 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, brought to you by Brother UK, regular host Matt Roberts is joined by Ged Cairns and Matt Jones of Brother UK to discuss how IT and technology can directly impact and improve patient care - the only real "currency" which matters across the health sector, as Matt Jones explains.

On Episode 14 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, we're joined by Professor Craig Jackson, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology Birmingham City University to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, the health messaging around it and how those in power have missed a trick by overlooking the key role of psychology in informing the public of restrictions, measures and the ever-changing situation

On Episode 13 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, we're delighted to be joined by Anthea Hockly, Associate Director of Workforce Development and Learning at Essex Partnership University NHS FT, to discuss a recently established Health and Care Academy in Essex which the trust has heavily involved in.

On Episode 12 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, I'm joined by Michelle Nix of Parking Eye as we discuss the ways their car park solutions can assist healthcare providers in improving revenues, creating a better user experience and allowing greater accessibility and the introduction of touchless and cashless technologies.

On this episode of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast, host Matt Roberts is joined by Darren Atkins, Chief Technology Officer (Artificial Intelligence & Automation) at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust to talk about digital technology, automation and AI and how it all fits into the modern health sector.

Mental health has always been an area of significant discussion in the health sector, from clinicians to solution through to prevention. But, on Episode 10 of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast host Matt Roberts chats with Nicholas Rowley of the Manchester branch of Andy's Man Club, a mental health charity aimed at supporting men to talk about their mental health problems and overcome some of the stigma, to understand what services are out there to address mental health provision beyond the traditional clinical settings.

Telemedicine has been one of the emerging areas of progress during the coronavirus pandemic, with a much more widespread and rapid adoption of remote technology. But how effective is the technology for the clinicians using it - and how do we as a health sector decide which options are the best suited for adoption from organisations? To answer this and more, we speak with Glenn Smith, advanced nurse practitioner and one of NHE's newest editorial board members.

Availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a key talking point throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT taking the decision to set up their own PPE factory. The trust's Director of Finance, Paul Dunn, and local textile industry expert Sarah Rose join us on this episode of NHE's Finger on the Pulse podcast to discuss the work they've done in more detail.

Baroness Ilora Finlay, Chair of the National Mental Capacity Forum and a Professor of Palliative Care, joins NHE's Matt Roberts to talk about efforts during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the potential longer term effects of bereavement, loss and trauma during Covid-19 and the potential positives we can find out of the difficult circumstances.

In Episode 6 of #WeAreNHE podcast we are joined by Henry Jones, CEO of digital mental health organisation Big White Wall. As Henry explains, with demand fast outstripping our capacity, we cannot simply treat mental health in the traditional ways. We require innovation and new thinking, such as Big White Wall has brought to the table.