The Business of Healthcare Podcast with Tara Humphrey

What does it take to demonstrate the real impact of first contact physiotherapy and other multidisciplinary roles in primary care? And how can research help shape the future of outcome-based commissioning?

In this episode, Tara is joined by Phin Robinson, Ben Bradford & Adam Davies from Pure Unity Health to explore how research, validated outcome measures and patient feedback can strengthen services and inform commissioning decisions.

The conversation explores how large-scale research can help PCNs, ICBs and commissioners understand what works, where services can improve and which outcomes should be measured. With outcome-based commissioning gaining importance, the guests discuss the challenges of establishing consistent measures, securing research funding and bringing health, care and community partners together to design services around local needs.

In this episode, you can expect to hear about:

• Why research is essential to building the evidence base for first contact physiotherapy and other multidisciplinary roles in primary care.

• The importance of standardised patient feedback, including the Roadmap to Practice requirements for first contact practitioners.

• What outcome-based commissioning could mean for PCNs and healthcare providers, and why commissioners need reliable evidence to define meaningful outcomes.

• Why neighbourhood working and collaboration across primary care, hospitals, social care and wellbeing services are vital to delivering more joined-up, patient-centred care.

• The challenges of funding large-scale research and why healthcare organisations need to take an active role in developing the evidence that will shape future policy.

What does the evidence actually tell us about the impact of first contact physiotherapy? And are we measuring the right things to shape the future of commissioning? Tune in for big questions, real-world research and fresh thinking on how we prove what works in primary care.

Visit the Pure Unity Health Website here.

What happens when a GP practice stops waiting for patients to find a dentist, and starts looking for the patients who need one?

In this episode, Tara is joined by returning guest Dr Neil Modha, GP Partner at Thistlemoor Medical Centre, and Dr Raja Akhtar, Principal Dentist, Oadby Dental Clinic & Joint Founder, Thistlemoor Smiles Centre, to discuss their new approach to NHS dental care at Thistlemoor Medical Centre.

Eight months into the project, Neil and Raja share what they have learned so far, what has been challenging and what this approach could mean for neighbourhood working.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Why dentistry and general practice need to work more closely together.
• Using patient data to identify cohorts who may need dental support.
• Whether activity-based models work for high-need communities.
• A different approach to NHS dental service design and delivery.
• The importance of relationships between practices, dentists and commissioners.
• Thinking beyond the 18 month pilot and planning for the future.

The conversation looks at what can happen when dental care becomes part of the wider neighbourhood conversation, and when teams use data, relationships and population health management to identify where support is needed.

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare, Tara is joined by Niruban Ratnarajah, a GP Partner at Stonehill Medical Centre and Chair of NHS Bolton Foundation Trust.

With experience across general practice, neighbourhood working and the wider NHS system, Niruban offers a unique perspective on some of the challenges facing healthcare leaders, and what it takes to move beyond organisational boundaries and focus on what matters to patients and communities.

Throughout his career, Niruban has sought to bring the voice of patients and underserved communities from the consultation room into the boardroom. He uses data to understand what works and adapt quickly when change is not delivering benefits for patients or staff, while focusing on transformation and financial sustainability without losing sight of clinical quality or colleague wellbeing.

In this conversation, Tara and Niruban explore:

• GP access and demand - and why the data may tell a very different story from the assumptions made about why patients attend A&E.
• Relationships and trust - how long-term relationships, honesty and accountability can help organisations work through difficult conversations.
• Data-driven improvement - why relationships alone aren't enough, and how using data can help practices understand where they are performing and where change is needed.
• Neighbourhood working - what neighbourhoods could actually mean for patients, from prevention and screening to bringing services closer to where people live.
• Form vs function - why the focus should be on what needs to be delivered for patients, rather than getting caught up too early in which organisation holds the contract.
• Getting your own house in order - how practices can optimise their workforce, skill mix and systems before taking on wider neighbourhood responsibilities.
• PCN relationships - how four practices in Bolton have worked through differences, created equal voices and developed ways of sharing work and resources.
• Learning from PCNs - why relationships matter, but also why data, evidence, patient need and effective management structures are essential to making collaboration work.

One of the key themes running throughout the conversation is the importance of putting patient need at the centre of neighbourhood working, and using relationships, data and practical action to turn that ambition into something that works on the ground.

If you work in primary care, neighbourhoods, the NHS or healthcare leadership, there is plenty to take from this conversation.

Find Niruban on LinkedIn here.

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare, Tara is joined by Dr Dan Bunstone, Chief Medical Officer, Doctor and Health Consultant with a passion for health tech and proactive care, focusing on enhancing healthspan, not just lifespan. Tara and Dan discuss how small, realistic changes can have a meaningful impact on our health and wellbeing.

Tara and Dan also discuss their Every Move Counts initiative, which aims to get want to get 1 million health and care professionals moving more across the entire system, feeling better, and doing it together. From walking the dog to running an ultramarathon, the message is simple: find something you enjoy, make it part of your routine and run your own race.

In this episode, they discuss:

• What lifestyle medicine means and why simple changes can make a big difference
• Why consistency is more important than trying to be perfect
• Making exercise part of your routine and protecting time for it
• Practical approaches to improving sleep, movement and diet
• The difference between lifespan and healthspan
• Why mobility, strength and cardiovascular fitness matter as we get older
• How Every Move Counts is encouraging health and care professionals to move more
• The importance of finding activities you enjoy and, as Dan puts it, 'run your own race'.

Visit Dan's website here or email Dan here.

Find out more about the Every Move Counts initiative here.

What is social care, and why is it still so often overlooked when we talk about the wider health and care system?

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare, Tara is joined by Dudley Sawyerr, Chair for the London Mayor Talent Board for Health and Social Care to explore the role of social care, how it connects with the NHS, and why it deserves a much stronger voice within the wider system.

Dudley also shares his own journey into social care and discusses how we can attract, develop and retain the next generation of the workforce by changing the way we talk about careers in the sector.

In this episode, they discuss:

• What social care actually encompasses
• The relationship between social care and the NHS
• Why social care can feel like the "forgotten cousin"
• The importance of better information sharing across health and care
• The wide range of careers available within social care
• How we can attract more young people into the sector
• Why retention, progression and workplace culture matter
• The importance of upskilling and transferable skills
• How employers can better support and value their workforce

A thought-provoking conversation about changing perceptions of social care and recognising the vital role it plays across the health and care system.

Find Dudley on LinkedIn here, or email Dudley directly here.

One of our most popular episodes is back.

This conversation continues to resonate with listeners and remains one of our favourite episodes of The Business of Healthcare Podcast.

In this episode, Tara is joined by Dr Wael Agur, Consultant Gynaecologist and Urogynaecology Subspecialist, to explore the rise and fall of transvaginal mesh.

Together, they discuss how mesh became widely adopted, the devastating impact on many women, and the lessons healthcare must learn about patient safety, informed consent and the introduction of new medical technologies.

In this episode, Tara and Wael discuss:

• How transvaginal mesh became widely used across healthcare.
• Why patient consent and shared decision-making are so important.
• The impact the mesh scandal has had on patients, clinicians and public trust.
• The role of manufacturers, regulation and clinical evidence.
• The ethical challenges surrounding innovation in healthcare.
• What the NHS and wider healthcare system can learn from the mesh scandal.
• How healthcare leaders can balance innovation with patient safety.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Lexacom.

Lexacom has been supporting healthcare professionals for over 25 years with NHS-compliant clinical documentation solutions, including speech recognition, ambient AI consultation notes and workflow tools used across primary care.

To learn more about Lexacom, contact their Sales Team here, call 01295 236910, or email Andrew directly here.

Healthcare organisations generate huge amounts of data every day, but what happens when those systems can't communicate with one another?

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare, Tara is joined by Professor Kanthan Theivendran, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Professor in Engineering at Aston University and digital health leader, to explore how OpenEHR could help solve one of healthcare's biggest digital challenges.

Together, they discuss why interoperability matters, how open standards can improve patient care, and what healthcare leaders should consider when implementing digital innovation.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Why healthcare data is often siloed
• What OpenEHR is and why it matters
• The benefits of open standards and interoperable systems
• Lessons from implementing Open Outcomes in the NHS
• Building business cases for digital innovation
• AI in healthcare, and why better data should come first
• Creating digital strategies that support clinicians and patients

This conversation challenges us to think beyond the latest technology trends and consider what truly enables better, more connected care.

Contact Kanthan directly on X here, LinkedIn here, or visit the openOutcomes digital PROMS and PREMs here.

What does community pharmacy really contribute to the NHS, and why is it still so often misunderstood?

In this episode, Tara is joined once again by Shilpa Shah, CEO of Community Pharmacy North East London, an award-winning pharmacist and Royal Pharmaceutical Society Fellow with more than 26 years of experience in community pharmacy.

Together, they explore:

• How Pharmacy First is transforming patient care and easing pressure on GP practices.
• Why stronger collaboration between community pharmacy, primary care and neighbourhood teams is essential.
• The financial realities facing pharmacies, from funding gaps to medicine shortages.
• The growing role of prevention, independent prescribing and community-based healthcare.
• Practical examples of innovation and leadership that demonstrate the untapped potential of community pharmacy.

Drawing on her extensive leadership experience and passion for championing the profession, Shilpa shares honest insights into the challenges pharmacies face every day, and why investing in community pharmacy is key to building a more sustainable NHS.

What does it really take to lead in a complex healthcare system?

In this solo episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara shares six practical reflections from her recent work across primary care, neighbourhood development, leadership programmes, and NHS transformation.

Whether you're leading a PCN, managing change across organisations, or simply trying to work more effectively within the NHS, this episode offers practical lessons and reflections you can apply immediately.

In this episode, Tara discusses:

• Why understanding the wider healthcare context changes how you lead

• The importance of making it easy for people to work with you

• Navigating competing stakeholder perspectives in complex systems

• What "form follows function" means in neighbourhood working

• Burnout, boundaries, and protecting your energy as a leader

• Auditing your time and identifying repetitive tasks for AI and automation

Revisit the episodes Tara mentions here;

Episode 373 with Bobbi Pozzoni Child

Episode 368 with Ben Gowland

What does it take to build a healthcare technology company that survives 26 years of NHS change?

In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara speaks with Andrew Whiteley, former GP and CEO of Lexacom, he shares how a simple frustration in general practice evolved into a business supporting thousands of clinicians, why innovation should always solve real-world problems, and how the rapid rise of AI is changing clinical documentation without compromising security or usability.

The conversation also explores what happens when things don't go to plan, rebuilding customer trust after a difficult product rollout, and why listening to users remains at the heart of long-term success.

In this episode, Andrew discusses:

• Building products around clinicians' real-world challenges
• Balancing AI innovation with patient privacy and data security
• Leading a business through setbacks and rebuilding customer trust
• The importance of customer feedback in shaping product development
• Staying focused while competitors enter the market
• Lessons learned from 26 years of building in healthcare

This episode is a conversation about innovation with purpose, resilient leadership, and creating technology that genuinely helps clinicians spend more time with patients.

To learn more about Lexacom, contact the Sales Team here, call 01295 236910, or email Andrew directly here.