HSJ Health Check

The HSJ Health Check podcast is tracking development of the government’s planned Health Bill. This week we talk to Ian Dodge, who shaped several major pieces of NHS legislation as a national director at NHS England and the Department of Health.Mr Dodge reflects on the lessons that can be learned from two decades of NHS restructure Acts: They rarely succeed in transforming services, take longer and are more complex than thought, and open the door to a range of unpredictable challenges from outsiders and political opponents.We talk about where these attacks might come, and the dilemmas facing goverment itself about what to include. Mr Dodge says ministers have already missed the chance of sticking to a very slim piece of legislation, abolishing NHS England as straightforwardly as possible. “The 10-Year Plan blew that out of the water with a whole heap of things that the government decided to abolish,” he said. “Already this thing has ballooned.”On timing, NHSE is unlikely to be abolished until “sometime between 1 October 2027 or 1 April 2028… and it will take up a vast amount of time and effort.”Send views and questions 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.

This week we discuss an exclusive story about a major expansion of cancer testing centres that will see the private sector take on a bigger role delivering NHS services.We’ll weigh up the success of the community diagnostic testing programme so far - and ask if one crucial factor could be holding it back. Also, an update on plans to launch a ‘single patient record’, following revelations that NHS England wants to launch a prototype by the end of the year.

This week two more integrated care board chief executives have quit, the latest in a string of resignations amid major changes to their role.We discuss what’s driving this leadership churn and also an update on the delayed redundancy scheme.And we reflect on Labour's first year in charge of the NHS, asking what drove the government to gamble on a major reorganisation of accountability.

Henry Anderson, an insightful HSJ journalist specializing in NHS matters, dives into the recent performance rankings for healthcare trusts in England. He examines the political motivations behind these league tables and their actual impact on accountability and quality of care. Anderson discusses the financial strain from recent doctors' strikes, costing the NHS £300 million, and critiques the current metrics prioritizing financial over patient experiences. This conversation sheds light on the complex challenges facing the NHS amidst ongoing reforms and budgetary pressures.

This week on the last HSJ podcast before the summer recess, we cover what is going on with more than £2bn that NHS England wants to take off overspending trusts. Henry Anderson and Dave West dig into this, and Wes Streeting’s promise to move some of this money into deprived areas – asking if this will actually work.Also an update on plans for manager regulation after the government published its proposals earlier this week. 

This week the HSJ team looks at the upcoming resident doctors' strike, plus how satisfied the public is primary care. Bureau chief Ben Clover, standing in for Annabelle Collins is joined by workforce correspondent Nick Kituno to talk about the BMA's latest strike action following the dramatic policy intervention made by NHSE Boss Sir Jim Mackey earlier in the week. Ben and primary care correspondent Caitlin Tilley then go through what the latest data shows about the public's impression of primary care services, and progress towards making the NHS App the service's front door.

Penny Dash's long-awaited review into safety and quality came out this week and put cost-effectiveness at the heart of implementing future recommendations from reviews and inquires. We cover the biggest changes - including the scrapping of Healthwatch - and whether yet more upheaval will be worth it. Also this week an update on the government's neighbourhood health plans as the next bit of the strategy is revealed.

The recent 10-Year Health Plan has sparked disappointment, with concerns over funding and community health support. Shifts toward competition within the NHS raise alarms about staff reductions and integrated care. The complexities of workforce planning highlight a lack of actionable strategies in the face of rising demand. Innovative technologies and the implications of foundation trust statuses are also discussed, and the upcoming financial strategies signal shifts in care delivery. Media reception and its influence on public understanding are critically analyzed.

This week we cover concerns about the safety of certain AI technology used in the NHS, as NHS England tries to exert order over a chaotic market. We also discuss the health secretary’s announcement of a “national maternity investigation” and the unanswered questions surrounding this unusual decision. And finally, we talk more about HSJ revelations this week that a patient died as a result of the cyber attack on a south east London pathology system last year.

This episode explores the evolving concept of neighbourhood health, the question marks over who will take the lead in each area and why ICBs still have an important role to play. We’re joined by Andrew Bland, chief executive of South East London ICB and London’s neighbourhood lead, and Ruth Rankine, director of the NHS Confederation’s primary care network, to discuss the cultural and financial challenges of scaling this local approach into a nationally viable model — one the government has placed significant hopes on.Also with Mimi Launder and Annabelle Collins.