Three further acute trusts are considering a move to joint leadership, HSJ has learned, and mental health hubs for NHS staff are being underused — we analyse both issues on this week’s HSJ Health Check podcast.

The trusts, in Norfolk, have fiercely protected their independence in the past, but could the national shift towards collaboration see things move forward? We also give an update on the country-wide picture.

And Emily Townsend discusses her finding that mental health hubs for NHS staff — set up to protect wellbeing during the covid pandemic — are being underused, despite evidence of growing MH-related absences.

Featuring Nicholas Carding, Emily Townsend, James Illman and Dave West.

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A plethora of complex governance arrangements are being  set up in and around ICSs - which are only just due to become statutory.  We discuss why these complications might hinder successful service  change.

We also hear about two senior NHS tech chiefs leaving  their positions to join a controversial private company - at a time when  NHS England is launching a major data project to drive digital  transformation across the health service.

Link to the leader discussed in the podcast: www.hsj.co.uk/policy-and-regulat…ed/7032335.article

The NHS has been told to scale back infection control measures, but what will this mean for staff and patients?

We talk about the risks healthcare leaders will have to balance over the coming weeks and the reaction from clinicians.

Also on the subject of cancer recovery, we discuss the good and the very bad news.

NHS England have asked systems to ensure their financial plans break even this year - but easier said than done when many face deficits of over £100m.

This week, we discuss why systems are pushing back and how this could play out.

Also, the latest race equality data has been published and we analyse what it says about leadership diversity in NHS trusts.

On this week’s episode we explore the pressure points hindering the NHS’s recovery this Spring.

We  draw on an interview given last week by NHS elective recovery chief Sir  Jim Mackey – he backed calls for infection control guidance to be  relaxed and warned meeting cost efficiency targets may not be possible.

Also  we discuss what trusts and systems are doing to ease the pressure,  including digital outpatients and out-of-area elective treatments.

Featuring Nick Carding, Annabelle Collins and James Illman.

We pick out the main findings from the Ockendon Review  into maternity failures at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust and  discuss what the most important lessons are for the NHS going forward.

Also  this week: The NHS Staff Survey has been published and there is more  bad news than good news. We find out just how much staff attitudes have  changed after two years of working in a pandemic, and what the key  responses have been to the survey.

Featuring Nick Carding, Emily Townsend, and Nick Kituno.

NHS spending is being scrutinised more than ever, with trusts asked to double the amount of annual efficiency savings they make. 

We discuss why more is being asked of the NHS when times are still tough and what this week’s Spring budget had in store for the health service.

Also this week: violence against NHS staff has rocketed to “dangerous levels”, according to NHS leaders who have published an open message to the public. Why have things got so bad?

Is it time to rethink how the NHS manages its elective waiting list? On this week’s episode we talk about the worryingly high number of people waiting over two years for their planned care - and the alarming number which do not even have a decision to admit.

Another factor which could impact on elective recovery is the recent spike in covid admissions. Considering how this could slow down recovery, why is the health secretary so relaxed about it?

And we ask listeners if you can help support out Ukraine appeal – this week we launched our campaign where you can bid for rewards with all money donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine appeal.

Link to donate: https://www.hsj.co.uk/health-inequalities/new-rewards-added-to-hsj-ukraine-fund/7032067.article

As war rages in Ukraine, we discuss the impact of the West’s response against the Kremlin on NHS trusts with supply chains linked to Russia.

We also analyse the heavily-anticipated speech on NHS reform by health secretary Sajid Javid this week, which left several important questions unanswered.

NHS England has introduced significant changes to the mechanism that is used to pay hospitals, with the era of covid “block-contracts” finally coming to an end.

This week we discuss what the new national payment system means for trusts and why there are concerns it could leave services underfunded.

Also an update on the progress of ‘virtual wards’ and more on why clinicians still aren’t too happy about them.