HSJ Health Check

HSJ

HSJ Health Check: Weekly analysis of the biggest issues in health policy and leadership, from HSJ's expert journalists. The go to place for an independent, informed and immediate take on health and care news.

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332 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes332

Newest first

Friday · 37 min
Burnham’s plan to save billions for the NHS
This week we’re talking about the latest on neighbourhood health, and what Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s push for social care reform means for the NHS. As ministers launch a major review of adult social care, we ask whether the shift could boost the neighbourhood health agenda, or set it back. Will it reshape NHS and council funding, and could it deliver the NHS savings Mr Burnham says must be considered before any tax rises? We also talk more about neighbourhood health contracts and their slow progress since they were announced in last year’s 10 year plan for health, and why some in primary care are calling for an even longer pause.
July 24 · 27 min
The ICB redundancy row
This week we discuss why a £300,000 exit payment to a former ICB CEO has proved so controversial, and how NHS England has tried to justify the move. We also look at what the row reveals about the wider pressure ICBs are under, as they face deep cuts and continued uncertainty over their future role. This includes the questionable use of public money in wider ICB restructures, which are in many cases forced to pay for redundancies they may one day regret. And with devolution to mayoral strategic authorities, how do ICBs and ‘places’ fit into the new world?
July 17 · 34 min
The doctor who's fought maternity scandals for a decade
Now the dust has settled on two major maternity reviews, HSJ Health Check is joined by Dr Bill Kirkup to discuss what happens next. Dr Kirkup has been investigating maternity scandals for over a decade, including Morecambe Bay and East Kent. We discuss how the sector has responded to the tranche of recommendations, whether a public inquiry is needed, and how leaders should respond when things go wrong in their organisations. He also touched on more contentious issues, warning that the current clinical negligence system is set up to be “adversarial”, and how the NHS needs to avoid “othering” maternity services.
July 10 · 32 min
The new strike threat
Many breathed a sigh of relief when the resident doctors accepted the latest government pay offer, putting an end to years of strikes. However, just a week later, consultants voted for industrial action. We discuss the demands of the British Medical Association’s consultants committee and how the government could avert another set of damaging strike action. We also talk more about the first complaints made about clinicians’ use of AI, as revealed in HSJ this week, and how the national AI regulation review could change how it is used in the NHS.
July 3 · 47 min
Solving the £20bn productivity puzzle
This week Dave West and Henry Anderson are joined by health economist Anita Charlesworth, who is co-chairing a commission into NHS productivity for the Health Foundation. We discuss the workforce “boom and bust”, why the covid-19 pandemic cost the NHS £20bn in lost care and how the health service can recover at a time when public spending is under pressure.
June 26 · 35 min
What next after Nottingham
NHS maternity services are again in the spotlight after an independent review revealed serious, systemic failings at Nottingham University Hospitals. The report by Donna Ockenden criticised NHS executives for refusing to speak to the review - leading the government to threaten prison time for staff who do not cooperate. Will this make a difference for future investigations? And, amid growing calls for a public inquiry into the state of maternity care across the country, we ask what this would mean for the NHS. With Henry Anderson and Emily Townsend. Send thoughts and ideas to annabelle.collins@hsj.co.uk
June 19 · 43 min
Who runs the NHS?
Sparks are flying over how the centre of the NHS will be run once NHS England is wound up next year. HSJ Health Check discusses the options, why they matter, as well as our exclusive interview with the minister leading the changes through Parliament. Karin Smyth argued government had sought to “minimise” the powers it is taking as a result of abolishing NHS England. She also spoke about the other big aim of the bill - paving the way for a single patient record. With Annabelle Collins, Alastair McLellan and Dave West. Linked articles: ⁠We have ‘minimised’ Health Bill power grab, says minister⁠ Trusts ‘should recruit more managers locally’
June 12 · 43 min
How racism hurts NHS services - with Ciarán Devane and Stacey Hunter
We talk staff, racism, the funding squeeze, and trust groups, on the HSJ Health Check live from the NHS Confederation conference in Manchester. NHS Alliance CEO Ciarán Devane, who took up post two months ago, and University Hospital Tees CEO Stacey Hunter, join HSJ deputy editor Dave West. Guests discuss the challenges of growing racism against staff, including how it can mean some minority ethnic staff don't want to work in particular parts of the country. We also cover wider pressure on staff, as funding is squeezed and services restructure to cut costs. And we talk about the dilemmas of the wave of trusts sharing leaders, one of whom is Stacey as CEO of two Tees foundation trusts.
June 5 · 35 min
The NHS staff who can’t be civil servants
Hundreds of non-British NHS England staff face losing their jobs because their nationality prevents them working in the civil service. We discuss why this threat – that seems to fly in the face of NHS values – has come about, and what it says about the wider restructure process. Also this week - the first ‘advanced foundation trusts’ have been confirmed so we cover who made the cut and the benefits this could bring for the chosen few. And on the subject of reorganisation, we discuss whether government will take the leap and overhaul primary care networks for the neighbourhood health era.
May 29 · 31 min
Inside the Southport victims' privacy breach
On this week's podcast, with increasing examples of staff accessing patient records inappropriately, we ask how widespread this practice really is - and whether regulators need to do more. And we dig into the NHS's elective recovery figures, which show a dramatic improvement in the final month of the year helped the service meet its headline government target by the narrowest of margins.
May 22 · 23 min
Who controls patients’ data?
This week we talk more about the government’s plans for a new “single patient record” - the legislation for which was in last week’s Health Bill - and why primary care could be a stumbling block. It was hoped the Bill would provide clarity on how the new data sharing requirements would be achieved but there remain many unanswered questions. On the subject of primary care, we cover why the latest collective action being taken by the the GPs’ union may in fact help pave the way for sorting out data sharing.
May 15 · 53 min
Wes publishes his Health Bill and quits – where does it leave the NHS?
We discuss Wes Streeting’s tumultuous 22 months in charge – and analyse the Health Bill he has left in his wake, which was published on Thursday. The bill will give ministers sweeping new powers, as well as abolishing NHS England, and make important changes affecting foundation trusts, integrated care boards, and councils. The HSJ Health Check podcast welcomes Hugh Alderwick, Health Foundation director of policy and research, to help unpick the 200-page legislation and what it will mean for the service.
May 8 · 43 min
The story behind HSJ’s Top 50 CEOs
This week we talk in more detail about HSJ’s Top 50 CEOs – not only who topped our annual ranking of hospital leaders, but also interesting trends from this year and beyond, and a behind the scenes from the judging. We cover the surprising new entries, why a third of individual chief executives included in the rankings over the last 12 editions have appeared just once, and why London and ambulance trusts are finally coming out top. The full top 50 can be viewed here.
May 1 · 29 min
Chatbot turned therapist
Millions of people are turning to AI chatbots to manage their mental health, driven by a combination of long waiting lists and not meeting clinical thresholds for treatment. We cover how regulation is running to keep up with this surge in demand and why suppliers are not finding compliance straightforward. Also this week, the NHS has a legal duty to reach net zero by 2040. We discuss how – and how well – is it being held to account.
April 24 · 35 min
What happens when the chair/CEO relationship breaks down
On this week’s podcast we talk about relationships between CEOs and chairs - and why the CEO of East Kent Hospitals has not been at work since mid-November. And with staff pride at a record low in the Care Quality Commission, according to its latest internal survey, we cover what will be in the in-tray of its new CEO and why the regulator wants to find someone with “clear political licence”. (Update): On Thursday evening, following the recording of this podcast, East Kent Hospitals Trust issued a statement stating Ms Doherty was stepping down so that the organisation could “appoint a chair who can focus exclusively on leading East Kent through the next phase of improvement work ahead.” Ms Doherty remains chair of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust and is also the president of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
April 17 · 25 min
GPs feel the squeeze
HSJ Health Check discusses the latest squeeze on GP resources, and controversy over reform of referral processes. Analysis of new figures show the share of NHS spend going to general practice fell to its lowest point in 2024-25 - a decade on from NHS England vowing to shift the balance the other way. The share of doctors in the English NHS who are GPs also fell. Meanwhile, GP groups are among those crying foul over the latest "advice and guidance" reforms. NHS England is asking systems to introduce universal A&G for 10 "high volume specialties" chosen locally, for which it has set an ambition of a "diversion rate of at least 25 per cent by March 2027". With HSJ deputy editor Dave West, bureau chief James Illman and correspondent Caitlin Tilley.
April 3 · 49 min
Mackey’s first year
We discuss Sir Jim Mackey’s first year as NHS England chief executive, and his interview with HSJ in which he sets out plans for 2026-27. This year has seen the NHS land more or less on plan for its biggest recovery targets – and with declared financial deficits falling quicker than expected. Sir Jim told us the next 12 months will leave more room for thinking ahead, including about commissioning and neighbourhood health. But money is still very tight and ever-bigger leaps in improvements will be needed to stay on track. Also, we cover the huge challenges facing the Humber Health Partnership, a group model that has seen its two member trusts placed into special measures and ask what lessons can be learned for trust groups elsewhere.
March 27 · 48 min
NHSE’s tough message on tech
Tech is one of the most important parts of the government’s 10-Year Health Plan, but this week NHS England has warned a leadership void is hampering progress and investment. We talk in more depth about this particularly public criticism and also discuss other key areas of tech that trusts are investing in, from electronic patient records to AI scribes. We also cover research that has revealed the over-complication of EPR training is having an adverse effect on productivity. The team shares how the NHS App and AI are set to evolve over the next few years as well.
March 18 · 1 hr
Bob Wachter on healthcare's AI revolution
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan interviews US physician Bob Wachter about his new book, A Giant Leap, on AI’s impact on healthcare. The conversation covers how clinical practice is already changing significantly, and explores the implications for NHS workforce planning.
March 13 · 29 min
Why NHS staff morale is falling
NHS staff are becoming less likely to recommend their employer as a place to work, are less confident about raising concerns and increasingly say they would not want relatives to be treated at their trust. HSJ digs into the annual NHS staff survey to find out what this year’s results mean for the future of the health service. Henry Anderson is joined by HSJ’s Nick Kituno and Chris Graham, from the Picker Institute, to discuss how staff feel about working for the NHS after the first full year of a Labour government - and what can be done to turn this around. Send podcast thoughts and ideas to annabelle.collins@hsj.co.uk You can listen to HSJ Health Check on this page, or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and all the other popular podcast platforms.