I've been really excited to do this episode for a while now. Dr Laura Neilson invariably moves our Next Gen audiences to tears and sparks standing ovations, because of her incredibly powerful story of influencing health inequalities from when she was only a medical student.

Laura is the CEO of Hope Citadel Healthcare CIC, and a director of the Focused Care CIC - a unique approach to managing vulnerable patients in areas of deprivation.

She founded Hope Citadel whilst she was a medical student living on a council estate in Oldham. She noticed the inequality in healthcare for the poorest, seeing the "inverse care law" in stark reality, and decided that it was possible to make a difference – so she set up a GP practice. Hope Citadel now run 11 GP practices in some of the most hard-pressed areas of Greater Manchester, aiming to provide whole-person healthcare to all.

Laura is passionate about tackling health inequalities and breaking down barriers to universal services. In 2016, Laura was recognised as a remarkable leader in healthcare when she was awarded the HSJ Rising Star award.

In this conversation she tells me about her journey to setting up Hope Citadel, where she found the courage to influence health inequalities as a medical student, and her views on the role of doctors in social justice.

*Highlights:

• Her early influences (3 mins)
• 'Noticing the gap' (7 mins)
• Digging deep and finding courage (9 mins)
• Setting up Hope Citadel (13 mins)
• Stories that made her stop (19 mins)
• Going to too many funerals (21 mins)
• "Focused care" (23.5 mins)
• Quality improvement vs playing (26.5 mins)
• Being told she couldn't do it (28 mins)
• Feeling out of her depth (30.5 mins)
• Learning how to lead (33 mins)
• Feeling overwhelmed tackling health inequalities (37 mins)
• Lessons from Covid for society (39mins)
• The role of doctors in social justice (41.5 mins)
• Her vision for her patients (43 mins)
• What can we do? (45 mins)
• Sustaining her energy (48 mins)
• Final 3 questions - a leader, a book, and top tips (50 mins)

*Resources:

• Focused care
• Brene Brown's Dare to Lead book and the podcast on Spotify
• Health Equity in England- the Marmot Review 10 years on
• More about Aidan Halligan, who was an inspirational leadership figure for many people

*Social media:

• @NextGGP/@nishmanek

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