RSPH Presents: Spread the Health

Social care has quickly come to dominate the political agenda with Prime Minister Andy Burnham's announced plans for a National Care Service. Polling in the aftermath of the announcement shows that the public is on side – but how does the idea stack up against the realities of the social care sector?

In the week before the announcement, William spoke with Vic Rayner OBE, Chief Executive Officer of the National Care Forum. The conversation covers aging, global approaches, technology and the new government's approach to care.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month on Spread The Health, we're trying something a bit different. William has passed the host's chair to Tracy Daszkiewicz, President of the Faculty of Public Health, to interview RSPH Chair Nick Harding in a fascinating conversation about public health leadership.

Alongside that, William chats with RSPH Head of External Affairs Helen Thompson about our upcoming work in the Movement, Sport and Leisure sectors.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected]

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Recorded, produced and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month on Spread the Health, William speaks to public health physician, epidemiologist and former RSPH chair Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard. Jonathan covers a broad spectrum of public health topics including population health, alcohol, politics and why we should be talking about the drivers of health rather than the determinants.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month on Spread the Health, William speaks to Professor Bola Owolabi CBE, Chief Inspector at the Care Quality Commission, RSPH Vice President and NHS GP.

Bola takes us on a deep dive into the issues facing the country around health inequalities: why healthy choices are a function of privilege, the economic and moral case for equalising health outcomes, and our health trajectory looking towards 2040.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month on Spread the Health, William sits down with Jonathan Van-Tam, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer and one of the most respected names in British public health. JVT talks about his career from academia through to his prominent role in the COVID-19 pandemic response, as well as all things vaccines and the importance of communicating health topics clearly with the public.

This podcast discusses The Royal Society for Public Health’s new Commission on Access to Vaccines. This is a collaborative working project between the RSPH and Pfizer Ltd, which is funded by Pfizer and is non promotional. Pfizer will review associated materials for medical accuracy and to ensure regulatory compliance.

If you would like to share your experience with access to vaccinations, answer our call for evidence to have your voice heard.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month on Spread the Health, William speaks to presenter and health expert Shakira Akabusi about women's health. They cover the challenges women face around maternity and menopause, the online health misinformation that targets women and how to spot it, as well as the new women's health strategy.

Shakira is a presenter, speaker, writer, entrepreneur and leading voice in women’s health in the UK. She is currently a fitness expert for ITV’s Lorraine, and has worked across major broadcasters including BBC 5 Live, Channel 4 and Good Morning Britain.

Hear more from Shakira on Instagram and her StrongLikeMum platform.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content warning: This episode features strong language throughout and references to suicide.

On his recent trip to Australia, William took the opportunity to sit down with Travis Garone, founder of the men's health charity and annual event Movember, as well as Dr Jaelea Skehan, Movember's Men's Health Advisory Committee Global Chair and Director of the mental health charity Everymind.

Over the course of the episode, we hear about Movember's history and brand, its contribution to global men's health strategies, as well as governmental and community-based approaches to suicide prevention.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we are tackling a subject which has developed so rapidly over the last few years that almost every sector has had to reckon with it in form or another. That subject is AI and large language models.

To help shed light on what it means for public health, William is joined by Christina Pagel, professor of operational research at University College London, and Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

They cover the risks and rewards of the technology, the effects it will likely have on the workforce, and whether governments are prepared to manage and regulate a technology that has the potential to be so transformative – for better or worse.

Find more information about our guests:

Martin McKee's work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Follow Martin on Bluesky

Christina Pagel's Work at University College London

Follow Christina on Bluesky

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced by David Utley-Williams and Ben Kosma

Recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With 2025 in the books and 2026 underway, William catches up with two leading figures in public health – Tracy Daszkiewicz, Faculty of Public Health President, and Greg Fell, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health – to discuss the wins of the previous 12 months and what to expect in the year to come.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced by David Utley-Williams and Ben Kosma

Recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the final episode of 2025, William is joined by James Bethell, also known as Lord Bethell, for an extended interview. We cover everything from his early career as a clubbing pioneer with the Ministry of Sound to his time as a health minister, as well as his post-government career as an RSPH trustee and evangelist for prevention.

Got a question for the podcast? Email [email protected] and share your thoughts!

Credits:

Hosted by William Roberts

Produced by David Utley-Williams, Ben Kosma and Connie Seamer

Recorded and edited by Ben Kosma

Music by Ceton via Pixabay.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.