The health service is clearly in a jam in the wake of covid - so why have Sajid Javid’s plans for ‘a year of reform’ antagonised some managers, GPs and other staff?’

We get into some of the challenges faced by the health secretary, how to balance ambition with NHS recovery and why the NHS doesn’t want to go back to how things were before covid hit.

This week Annabelle and Dave are joined by Helen Buckingham, director of strategy at the Nuffield Trust, Richard Sloggett, programme director of the Future Health Research Centre.

Health inequalities for those with a mental illness, learning disability or autism have existed for decades and the coronavirus pandemic has made them even worse.

We dedicate this episode to talk about why patients in this group have worse global health outcomes than the rest of the population, why “sticking-plaster solutions” don’t cut it anymore and if the move towards integrated care is a reason to feel positive.

Annabelle Collins and Rebecca Thomas are joined by Andy Bell, deputy chief executive of the charity ’Centre for Mental Health’.

We discuss Sajid Javid’s first Tory conference as health secretary and try and pin down the “fundamental and far-reaching reforms” he pledged to make.

Also – the biggest review of NHS leadership in 40 years has been announced by the government. We discuss why now, when healthcare leaders are under more pressure than ever,  what it hopes to achieve and why managers are an easy target.

On the podcast this week we look ahead to winter and ask whether NHS England’s ten-point A&E action plan could prevent a crisis.

We also discuss important changes to infection control guidance and whether this could make a difference to the ever-growing elective backlog.

On this week’s podcast, we discuss the knock-on impact covid has had on staffing and services, after medical consultants at a major acute trust warned its leadership that specialist staff shortages are causing services to become unsafe.

Also, Greater Manchester’s coroner’s office has opened an unusually high number of inquests into patient deaths — higher than all the other coroners in Yorkshire, Humber and the North East combined.

Should this raise concerns that hundreds of other deaths around the region are not being properly investigated? We discuss the coronial system and the legacy of Harold Shipman in Greater Manchester and beyond.

The government has announced £15.6bn extra funding for the NHS — but NHS England is having to curb its ‘long-term plan’ ambitions and considering which of its budgets to shave. This week’s HSJ Health Check podcast explores why.

We also cover how NHS England’s commitment to publish core performance data broken down to identify health inequalities, among other “urgent actions” to tackle inequalities, is nearly a year overdue. Featuring Dave West, Nick Kituno and Rebecca Thomas.

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This week’s HSJ Health Check podcast discusses the warnings made by a Greater Manchester coroner over the risks of remote GP appointments, following the deaths of five people. Is it fair to blame general practice for the safety concerns?

We also talked about the government’s big health and care funding announcement and what it means for the NHS. Featuring Lawrence Dunhill, Jasmine Rapson and Rebecca Thomas.

This week’s HSJ Health Check podcast discusses the government comms “playbook” which, as revealed by HSJ, told trusts they should describe new wings, units and refurbishments as “new hospitals” — which they are not.

We also talk about NHS England’s framework contract for salary advance schemes for NHS staff, similar to the proposal from now-collapsed Earnd. Featuring Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins and Dave West.

With seven months to go we discuss what ICSs have to do before they become statute on 1 April, amid brewing rows over who might sit on the board.

We also discuss mental health provider collaboratives, which will soon be taking on budgets and ask: what can ICSs learn from them?

And with yet more news of private providers being rated inadequate, we ask who is keeping a grip on care quality.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Rebecca Thomas and Annabelle Collins.

An HSJ investigation revealed this week that coroners have raised multiple concerns pandemic hospital visiting restrictions may have had a damaging effect on patient care.

We discuss how vulnerable patients have been adversely affected by these covid rules and how trusts are still having to balance patient visiting with reducing the spread of covid.

Also this episode- trust leaders have spoken of fears that specialised services could become fragmented under Health Bill reforms. We cover why new delegated budgets could result in ICS’ going their own way.

Featuring Hayley Kirton, Jack Serle and Annabelle Collins.