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. Where services are at after the winter period (01:15) The Spring budget announcements (06:04) The need for long-term strategy (09:15 ..read more

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 offe ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

What is anti-racism, and why is it important in the context of health and care? Jo Vigor sat down with Joy Warmington, 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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ELFT – East London NHS Foundation Trust  ICBs – Integrated care boards ICPs – Integrated care partnerships Related resources The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan explained (long read) Train, retain, reform: does the NHS Long Term Plan provide a ..read more

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 ..read more

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 a ..read more

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 ..read more