The Health Foundation podcast

Sacha Romanovitch, Chief Executive of Fair4All Finance and Chair of the Commission for Healthier Working Lives, and Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, dive into the crisis of economic inactivity affecting nearly 9 million in the UK. They explore the alarming rise of long-term illness and its impact on health inequities. The discussion highlights initiatives like 'Working Win' and innovative community health programs in South Yorkshire. Together, they emphasize the importance of supportive environments and collaboration across sectors to rejuvenate local economies.

Join us as we look back at the pick of the pod in 2023.  It's been a turbulent year: the NHS under pressure, the health of the population not improving as fast as we’d like and economic inactivity remaining stubbornly high, especially among working-age people.  But it's not all gloom. To some surprise, we saw government ditch its nanny state objections and take bold action on tobacco. And there have been breath-taking advances in technology, not least in artificial intelligence. A reminder that innovation and politics can open up new possibilities and hope for the future.  Join our Chief Executive Dr Jennifer Dixon as we reflect with guests who appeared on the podcast in 2023. Show notes Jeanelle de Gruchy and Kevin Fenton, Our health in 2040: are we getting sicker?  Alice Wiseman and Clare Bambra, Low life expectancy in the north east, and what to do about it Michelle Kelly-Irving and Nish Chaturvedi, How chronic stress weathers our health  Sarah Neville and Hettie O’Brien, Going private: what’s happening and is it a bad thing?  Rachel Wolf and Stephen Bush, What do the main political parties really have in store for health? Jagjit Chadha and Anita Charlesworth, NHS at 75: What are we up against? John Bell and Axel Heitmueller, AI in health care: hope or hype? Ashish Jha, Keeping up with AI in health care: what we need to do next Navina Evans and Penny Pereira, NHS at 75: The huge promise of technology Jane Dacre, Nikita Kanani and Gabrielle Mathews, International Women’s Day: Voices in health care Rachel Wolf and Stephen Bush, What do the main political parties really have in store for health?  Alan Milburn and Stephen Dorrell, NHS at 75: Is political leadership up to the challenge?

The podcast discusses the potential of AI in healthcare, including personalized treatment advice and automated systems. It addresses the challenges and risks associated with AI, such as public interest, inclusion, cost, accountability, autonomy, and privacy. Expert guests cover topics like ethical frameworks, regulatory landscapes in Switzerland, public engagement, safety, inclusivity, government intervention, and implications of AI in healthcare like addressing inequalities, legal accountability, safety concerns, and the NHS's incorporation of AI.

A general election is expected in 2024 and no party can ignore the NHS − but what do they plan to do on health? The health service regularly tops voter concerns, consumes a growing share of public spending and features daily in the media. The health of the nation is also moving up the agenda, with ill health the main reason why 2.6 million working-age people are economically inactive. So what are the main parties planning as we move towards an election and have the party conferences revealed anything new?  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Rachel Wolf, Partner at Public First, a consultancy specialising in public policy, public opinion and campaign strategy. Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times.  Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). Health in 2040: projected patterns of illness in England.  The Health Foundation (2023). Public perceptions of health and social care: what are the priorities ahead of a general election?  The Health Foundation (2023). What should be at the top of the political agenda for health and care?  The Health Foundation (2023). Health Foundation responds to the Prime Minister’s announcement of smoke-free measures.   The Health Foundation (2023). Social health insurance: be careful what you wish for.   Institute for Government (2023). The NHS productivity puzzle: why has hospital activity not increased in line with funding and staffing?  The Times. Tories as the party of change: that’s a hard sell (2023).   Ipsos. Ipsos issues tracker: July 2023 (2023).  

A record 7.7 million people are now waiting for elective care in England. With so many waiting for NHS care, polls show deep public concern over access to health services and many considering going private. Meantime policymakers are exploring how the independent sector can help get waiting lists down, and private equity investors are making moves in the independent health care provider market. So does this mean we’re slowly sliding towards a mixed model of health care in this country? And if so, is it a good thing or should we be worried? To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Sarah Neville, Global Health Editor at the Financial Times. Hettie O'Brien, Assistant Editor at the Guardian and currently researching a book investigating the role of private equity in the contemporary economy and public services. Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). Waiting for NHS hospital care: the role of the independent sector in delivering orthopaedic and ophthalmic care. The Health Foundation (2023). How the public views the NHS at 75. The Health Foundation (2022). Waiting for NHS hospital care: the role of the independent sector. BMJ (2023). Private providers see surge in demand as PM blames long NHS waiting lists on strikes. PHIN (2023). PHIN Private market update: September 2023. BMJ (2023). Evaluating trends in private equity ownership and impacts on health outcomes, costs, and quality: systematic review. NBER (2023). Owner Incentives and Performance in Healthcare: Private Equity Investment in Nursing Homes. The Guardian (2023). Private equity has its sights on the NHS – and with it our faith in public services altogether. The Financial Times (2023). Private equity groups bet on UK healthcare as NHS waiting lists grow.

Whatever we are doing on health, it isn't enough to prepare for the wave of morbidity that is clearly in sight.  Recent Health Foundation modelling estimates 1 in 5 will be living with major illness by 2040, mostly because more of us will be older. But it's not just about age. A record 2.5 million working-age people are already not in work due to ill health. So what can be done to improve the state of nation’s health?   To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Jeanelle de Gruchy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and lead for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities at the Department of Health and Social Care.   Kevin Fenton, President of the UK Faculty of Public Health. Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). Health in 2040: projected patterns of illness in England. UK government (2023). Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework. ONS. Rising ill-health and economic inactivity because of long-term sickness, UK: 2019 to 2023. The Health Foundation (2022). Addressing the leading risk factors for ill health. The Health Foundation (2022). Is poor health driving a rise in economic inactivity? The Health Foundation (2022). Health is wealth? Strengthening the UK’s immune system.  UK government (2021). Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2021: health in coastal communities.

In our series marking the NHS’s 75th birthday, we’ve been setting out the big challenges and opportunities ahead for the health service. In this third and final installment, we ask how the potential of technology might be unlocked to benefit patients, the public, staff and the taxpayer. We also share initial reflections on the recently published NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Navina Evans, Chief Workforce Training and Education Officer at NHS England. Navina is a doctor and a specialist in psychiatry, and was involved in the new NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.  Penny Pereira, Q Managing Director here at the Health Foundation. Penny is an expert in process and system redesign and health care, having worked in these areas for many years, both at the Foundation and previously within the NHS. Show notes The Health Foundation (2020). Understanding and sustaining the health care service shifts accelerated by COVID-19. The Health Foundation (2021). Securing a positive health care technology legacy from COVID-19. The Health Foundation (2023). Five principles for implementing the NHS Impact approach to improvement in England. NHS England (2023). NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

As we approach the NHS’s 75th birthday in July, we’re releasing a series of three podcast episodes setting out the big questions facing the health service. This second episode explores the role of political leadership in addressing the big challenges in health care, whether political leadership is up to the task of getting the NHS to its 100th anniversary – and if not, how could it improve?  To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by:     Alan Milburn, Labour MP for nearly 20 years to 2010. During the Blair government, Alan held a number of ministerial roles including Secretary of State for Health from 1999 to 2003. Alan currently serves as chair of the Social Mobility Foundation and Chancellor of Lancaster University. Stephen Dorrell, Conservative MP for over three decades to 2015. Stephen served as Secretary of State for Health from 1995 until the 1997 general election, and as chair of the House of Commons Health Select Committee from 2010 to 2014. Since leaving parliament, Stephen spent time as chair of NHS Confederation, and joined the Liberal Democrats.  Show notes Institute for Government (2019) Becoming secretary of state   The Health Foundation (2020) Glaziers and window breakers: former health secretaries in their own words  The Health Foundation (2021) The most expensive breakfast in history

The fact the NHS survives by a kind of miracle is one of its endearing British features – so said former health secretary, Kenneth Clarke. Well, can that miracle continue? As we approach the NHS’s 75th birthday in July, we’re launching a series of three podcast episodes setting out the big questions facing the health service. This first episode explores current pressures on the NHS, economy and wider society and what the future might hold. What are the questions that policymakers may face as the population’s health and care needs change over the coming decade? How can the UK economy power the investment needed for health services to survive and thrive? And how can more long-term thinking help to foster good health and economic productivity? To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Professor Jagjit Chadha, Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and chair of the UK Productivity Commission  Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research and the REAL Centre at the Health Foundation. Show notes NIESR (2023). UK economic outlook – Spring 2023  Chadha (2023). ‘Commentary: fixing the mix’. National Institute Economic Review.    Office for National Statistics (2022) National population projections  Health Foundation (2022). How many hospital beds will the NHS need over the coming decade?   Health Foundation (2022). How does UK health spending compare across Europe over the past decade?   Health Foundation (2022). NHS workforce projections 2022   Health Foundation (2022). Health is wealth? Strengthening the UK’s immune system  

How healthy we are in part depends on the many different exposures we've had over our life – including to physical, psychological and social factors. Chronic exposure to psychosocial stress – for example, poverty or other disadvantage – leads to prolonged strain on the body. This weathering can make us physically ill before our time and prematurely age us. So what is psychosocial stress, how does it harm our health and what can be done about it? To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by:  Dr Michelle Kelly-Irving, a life course epidemiologist working on health inequalities and the social determinants of health. Michelle is a director at Inserm in Toulouse, part of France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research. Professor Nish Chaturvedi, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at University College London and Director of the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing. Show notes Kelly-Irving (2019). Allostatic load: how stress in childhood affects health outcomes. The Health Foundation.   Gustafsson et al (2011). ‘Socioeconomic status over the life course and allostatic load in adulthood: results from the Northern Swedish Cohort.’ Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 65: 986-992.   Guidi et al (2021). ‘Allostatic load and its impact on health: a systematic review.’ Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 90: 11-27.   McEwen & Stellar (1993). ‘Stress and the individual – mechanisms leading to disease’. Archives of Internal Medicine.153: 2093-2101  Tampubolon & Maharani (2018). ‘Trajectories of allostatic load among older American and Britons: longitudinal cohort studies.’ BMC Geriatrics. 255.