This episode focuses on tackling hospital backlogs in the NHS. We begin by hearing from King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust head of neurosurgery Ranjeev Bhangoo and Dr Clive Kay, chief executive at the trust, whose neurosurgery team uses extra theatre time and capacity to carry out 750 more operations a year. And we speak to a patient’s sister about their experience of this new process.

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust clinical director of orthopaedics Colin Senior and James Smith, an orthopaedic consultant and clinical lead for the assessment centre, who have managed to reduce total waiting lists by 52%.

We also hear from Eilish Midlane, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust chief operating officer and Alaina Yardley, lead cardiac physiologist, on their approach of using remote home monitors to follow-up with thousands of patients.